Photos: Electrifying New Hummer

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Fully Electric Supertruck
Hummer is back! A bit over 10 years ago, General Motors discontinued the brand originally associated with the gas-guzzling military-grade vehicle adapted for on-road use, often cited as an example of excess and negative environmental impact. Now GM brings the Hummer name back on an advanced fully electric truck that will sell under the GMC brand. The 2022 GMC Hummer EV is the first model to use GM’s next-generation electric powertrain, providing impressive off-road capability and extreme on-road performance.

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Efficiency and Performance
“This innovative truck comes to market with speed and purpose, bringing GM another step closer to an all-electric future,” said Mark Reuss, president of General Motors. “With our Ultium Drive architecture as the foundation for an exceptionally broad range of performance, HUMMER EV is perfect for the customer who wants capability, efficiency and performance.”

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Ultium Drive
When the 2022 GMC Hummer EV arrives next fall, it will be the first production model from GM to employ new Ultium Drive battery architecture. The foundation of this new architecture is a unique large-format pouch-style battery cell that can be stacked vertically or horizontally in the pack, depending on the application. For the Hummer EV Edition 1, there will be two layers of vertical cells for a total of 24 modules, which makes a 350+ mile range possible.

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Battery Chemistry
The Ultium batteries are produced using GM’s nickel, cobalt, manganese, aluminum chemistry; however, the batteries will use much less cobalt than previous GM units. Since cobalt is a rare and expensive material, this application conserves resources and ultimately lowers the cost of production. The battery cells will be produced as part of a joint venture with LG Chem at a new facility in Lordstown, Ohio.

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EV Design
“This is the first truck that we have ever designed around an EV propulsion system,” said Adam Kwiatkowski, GM executive chief engineer of global electric propulsion. “Designing the truck and the propulsion system together enhances HUMMER EV’s unique performance capabilities, while also making this the stiffest truck GM has ever built,” Kwiatkowski noted.

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1000 Horsepower
The Hummer EV Edition 1 uses three electric drive motors to produce an estimated 1000 horsepower and 11,500 lb-ft of torque. A single motor will power the front wheels, and an electronic locking differential can send up to 100 percent of the torque to an individual wheel as needed for ultimate traction. Two rear motors will independently power the rear wheels, with the ability to vary torque to each wheel; the motors can also be synced to simulate a locking differential.

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Ultimate Off-Roader
“We had one goal for HUMMER EV: Build the most capable factory truck — ever,” said Al Oppenheiser, GMC HUMMER EV chief engineer. “It’s an absolute off-road beast with a unique e4WD drive system that provides maneuverability unlike anything GM has ever offered before, ” enthused Oppenheiser.

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CrabWalk
The Hummer EV will introduce a 4-wheel steering system that allows the rear wheels to turn in the opposite direction for better maneuverability at slower speeds, or in the same direction as the front wheels for better high-speed performance. But the coolest feature is CrabWalk: in slow off-road situations the rear wheels can match the steering angle of the front wheels up to 10 degrees to “crab walk” — moving the vehicle diagonally to better maneuver through tight off-road situations.

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UltraVision
Most new vehicles have multiple cameras to provide views around the vehicle; the 2022 GMC Hummer EV takes the camera game to the next level. UltraVision features 18 camera views including front and rear underbody cameras to help drivers with wheel placement to avoid large obstacles without needing a spotter. Since it gets pretty dirty on the underside of an off-roading vehicle, these cameras have a wash function to clear dirt and debris.

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Extract Mode
As part of its adaptive air suspension, the 2022 GMC Hummer EV features Extract Mode, which raises the suspension by 6 inches to a maximum 15.9 inches, making it possible to traverse large obstacles or traverse up to 32 inches of water. The system also allows for almost 13 inches of suspension travel.

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Underbody Armor
Even though this Hummer EV can raise itself to almost 16 inches of ground clearance, the bottom of the vehicle could still scrape unforgiving terrain. To shield the 2022 GMC Hummer EV’s vital organs, five skidplates / rock sliders as well as two underbody shields protect the battery pack and drive units.

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Extreme Performance
And even while possessing impressive off-road capability with up to 1000 horsepower, the new Hummer earns its supertruck designation with incredible on-road performance. This includes a “Watts to Freedom” mode, which launches the EV from a standstill to 60 mph in an incredibly quick 3.0 seconds, accompanied by a heady soundtrack.

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Super Cruise
The 2022 GMC Hummer EV will be the first to use the latest version of GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driving system. Employing a driver attention system as well as LiDAR map data, the system can be used on more than 200,000 miles of compatible roads in North America. This latest version also has a new automatic lane change feature that determines the best time to make a lane change — such as passing a slower vehicle — and execute the maneuver on its own.

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Edition 1
The 2022 Hummer EV Edition 1 will be the first to arrive; GM anticipates production will begin in fall 2021. With a starting price of $112,595, this special edition — which is already sold out — features a three-motor e4WD powertrain that will deliver an estimated 1000 horsepower and 11,500 lb-ft of torque. Not only will the Edition 1 offer extreme performance, it will also have an estimated driving range of more than 350 miles between charges.

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Fully Loaded
All Edition 1 Hummer EVs will be painted in white with a Lunar Horizon interior trim with Edition 1 badging. This unique truck features a new 13.4-inch display screen, a 12.3-ich driver display, an Infinity Roof with removable transparent Sky Panels, a power rear window, a power tonneau cover and the GMC MultiPro tailgate. Other standard equipment includes the latest version of Super Cruise, the Extreme Off-Road package and adaptive air suspension. When it arrives, the Edition 1 will also be equipped with the exclusive 4-wheel steering with CrabWalk.

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GMC Hummer EV Lineup
Following the Edition 1, in the fall of 2022 a top-level Hummer EV3x arrives, featuring the same three-motor powertrain making a mere 800 horsepower at a starting price of $99,995. In spring of 2023 the Hummer EV2x will join the lineup at $89,995, and finally in spring of 2024 the entry-level Hummer EV2 arrives, priced at $79,995. Although Edition 1 is sold out, reservations for other Hummer EVs can be made at https://www.gmc.com/electric-truck/hummer-ev/reserve-now. The Hummer EV will be produced in GM’s completely redone Factory ZERO Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center in Michigan.