US carmaker General Motors has lifted the price of its all-electric Hummer EV on Saturday by as much as $US6,250 (around $A9,000), citing rising commodity and shipping costs.
The price increase follows on the heels of a similar increase for Tesla’s electric car range in the US, which saw price rises of up to $US6,000 ($A8,630) for its premium models. A similar increase came into effect for the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y in Australia shortly after, of up to $A3,800.
The Hummer EV utility truck (known as a ute in Australia and a pickup in the US), is currently available with either an open utility back or closed SUV body style, and in three variants.
The entry-level EV2 variant which delivers approximately up to 400km range and 10,000Nm torque, is now priced from $US84,650 ($A121,820 converted) before on-roads. The EV2X ups the battery size with around 480km range, 300kW charging, and is priced from $US94,650 ($A136,211).
The range-topping EV3X includes all the standard EV2XÂ features but with a phenomenal 15,592Nm torque as well as torque vectoring. It now starts from $US104,650 (a little over $A150,600 converted) and is also available with a tri-motor option and 350kW DC fast-charging.
Highlights of the Hummer VE range include features like “crab walk”, adaptive air suspension and ride control, and an optional “extreme off-road package” which includes a variety of adventure-ready add-ons from ball spline half shafts to 18 camera to allow visibility under and around the vehicle from numerous angles.
GM says it has already taken 77,500 orders for its reimagined electric Hummer, and all its First Edition offering have long been sold out (GMC’s website says deliveries started in northern hemisphere Autumn 2021). Existing orders will not be impacted by the price hike.
GM intends to start delivering the top-of-the-line EV3X in the northern hemisphere’s Autumn of 2022, with the EV2X to follow in the northern hemisphere Spring of 2023. The EV2 will then follow the following Spring in 2024.
By then, semiconductor shortages and supply chain issues notwithstanding, GM is planning to introduce new “tactical tech” features including 3kW vehicle-to-load capability and trail-mapping.
Whether and when the Hummer EV will make it to Australia is very much an unknown.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.