Hummer EV faces off sub-zero temps as April launch revealed

The Hummer EV electric pickup, or rather ute, has been undergoing harsh sub-zero winter testing and will be officially unveiled on April 3 in an online global event, General Motors announced on Monday (US time).

The new Hummer, re-incarnated this time around with an electric drivetrain, is not just one more in a number of new EVs from US carmakers that are joining the American car market.

Nor is it the only electric ute that is gearing up to shatter misconceptions that electric cars will ruin the weekend.

This beast of an EV, billed by GMC as “the world’s first electric supertruck” will join the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, and eventually an electric Ford F-150, which last we heard is planned for a 2023 release.

None are actually available for delivery yet but they are all well on the way to becoming reality, with the Hummer EV becoming the third American-designed and made electric ute to be available to order once reservations open in April.

When it does, GMC hopes to capture a market that is after a vehicle that not only does away with huge fuel costs and carbon emissions but also packs a performance punch.

As the US carmaker’s electrification poster child, the Hummer EV promises to deliver some serious grunt, as well as a slew of off-road – and off-dirt, it would seem – features.

Today’s announcement was accompanied by a video of the Hummer EV being put through its paces in sub-zero temperatures.

This included, GMC says, on ice and snow, on steep slopes and also on split-μ surfaces where the friction is significantly different on one side to the other.

This versatility is possible thanks to all-wheel drive torque distribution and traction control, which were tested in the winter testing along with the Hummer EV’s electronic stability control.

Features available on the Hummer EV do not stop there: in addition to being able to handle slippery cold conditions, the Hummer EV will have the (slightly disturbing) ability to “crabwalk” by turning its wheel so that it appears to be driving diagonally.

Along with underbody cameras to keep an eye on whatever rocks and other obstacles the Hummer EV is traversing, an “extract” mode that lifts the vehicle up by six inches makes this the stuff of off-road dreams.

Add to that 1,000 horsepower, a phenomenal 15,591Nm torque, a “watts to freedom” boost mode that accelerates this electric behemoth to 60 miles (96.5km) an hour in around 3 seconds plus optional Super Cruise hands-free driving assist.

All signs point to GMC dishing up a banquet of rough and ready weekend memories, leaving it hard to imagine what else there is to learn when the Hummer EV is launched on April 3, 2021.