GM Takes Wraps Off Ballyhooed GMC Hummer BEV

General Motors introduces the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1, the GM division’s first battery-electric model featuring an estimated 1,000 hp, 11,500 lb.-ft. (15,600 Nm) of torque and 350 miles (564 km) on a full charge.

GM is taking reservations for the Edition 1 utility vehicle, which goes into production in the fall of 2021 at the automaker’s Factory Zero assembly complex on the border of Detroit and Hamtramck, MI. Base prices will begin at about $80,000, with the top-of-the-line model costing $112,600, GM President Mark Reuss says.

“I think we’ll get meaningful volume with the $80,000 truck. That will be the volume leader,” says Duncan Aldred, vice president-global GMC and Buick sales, adding, “We want no-haggle pricing.”

Part of the pricing on the first models represents an effort to recover a portion of the huge investment GM is making in electric-vehicle technology. The Hummer EV, however, also is expected to change the general perceptions of EVs, Aldred notes.

2022-GMC-HUMMER-EV-007.jpg

GM has 20 electrified vehicles on the drawing board, Reuss says. The Hummer’s projected 1 million sales are expected to be divided between China and North America, he says.

GM says the three separate drive motors in the all-wheel-drive Hummer provide acceleration from zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3 seconds, and its 24-cell Ultium battery pack can be recharged in 10 minutes at a fast-charging station, adding 100 miles (161 km) of range.

What Reuss calls a “super truck” has an open-air layout in which users can remove the roof and take advantage of storage in the space otherwise occupied by the internal-combustion engine in a conventional pickup truck.

A "crab walk" feature allows the front and rear wheels to steer at the same angle at low speeds so the Hummer can move diagonally around obstacles.

2022-GMC-HUMMER-EV-005.jpg

From the outset when it goes on sale, the Hummer will be equipped with GM’s Super Cruise Level 2 semi-autonomous technology to allow for hands-free driving on the 200,000 miles (322,000 km) of highway GM has mapped. The system will allow for automatic lane changes when necessary.

Inside is a 13.4-in. (34-cm) diagonal infotainment screen and a 12.3-in. (31-cm) diagonal driver information center. Off-road widgets display vehicle functions and terrain status through the two screens, including torque output, tire pressure, pitch and roll angles and torque vectoring.

“This is all about people who just love the best in automotive innovation, performance, capability and technology,” Aldred says during the Hummer’s online reveal. "These are the people who you may have seen buy the exotic sports car type brands. This will be the must-have item."

Reuss adds, “This is GM’s path for growth in the future.”

2022-GMC-HUMMER-EV-001.jpg