Nothing reeks of ostentatious power, glamour and unnecessary wealth quite like owning a Hummer. Driving that absolute military unit through the streets of whatever upper-class suburb you want to show off in is perhaps the ultimate display of excessive money, if you’re able to ignore all those folks shouting about the size of your unmentionables. With that concept in mind, how does one elevate oneself to an even more prestigious level of showboating? Well, you purchase a Hummer EV, the company’s first all-electric “supertruck” and you hope to whatever deity you hold close that you don’t ding it on something because that would be supremely embarrassing.
The Hummer EV was teased a few weeks back but now it’s been officially announced and it looks like something you’d expect Master Chief from Halo to dive out of at any second. The Hummer EV will be the first General Motors’ car to feature Ultium, the company’s new electric vehicle platform and battery, and yes, it does definitely does uncomfortably close to Ultron from The Avengers. It also marks a significant step forward in General Motor’s push for more electric vehicles in its product line.
So what else is special about the Hummer EV?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the Hummer EV, let’s talk about the big feature that General Motors is pushing out in all the marketing: Crab Mode. While that sounds like a ridiculous name (don’t get me wrong, it totally is) it’s a really cool feature if you’re the sort of person that wants to take your bakkie off-road in the most hostile environments. Crab Mode essentially turns all four of the Hummer’s wheels in the same direction and allows the car to move sideways… like a crab, you get it?
The Hummer EV also comes with Extract Mode, a specialised hydraulics system that can raise and lower the car up to 15cm in order to clear particularly uneven terrain or scale a rock that maybe you’d rather not just push out of the way. To ensure the bottom of the vehicle stays even safer the Hummer EV is equipped with steel plating on its underside to ensure the battery remains protected.
Its underbelly will also constantly be monitored by 18 cameras which make up the Ultravision system to provide constant information about the kind of terrain the driver is having to deal with at any given moment.
Okay, so what about that battery?
Now you’re asking the real questions! What would an electric Hummer be without a monstrous battery to carry that bulk along? The Hummer EV comes with a, “24-module, double-stacked Ultium propulsion system that will deliver at least 350 miles of range and power to three motors,” according to The Verge. What this all means is that the Hummer EV will be able to generate 1,000 horsepower and 1,500 pound-feet of torque which is absolutely mind-boggling yet still expected of a vehicle branded as a Hummer.
According to General Motors, the Hummer EV will be able to get 160km out of just 10 minutes of charging and a full charge in just 40 minutes if you’re using your standard 800-volt charger found at most EV charging stations.
This all sounds Unreal
One of the weirdest, but admittedly really cool, aspects of the Hummer EV is that General Motors has partnered with Epic Games to use the company’s Unreal engine to power the truck’s software. Unreal Engine is known for its ability to render incredibly detailed 3D objects and environments so the ability for the internal computer to generate such detailed information is an excellent addition to Hummer’s off-road capabilities.
Beyond the external simulations, it will also be able to render detailed internal specs so that drivers can ensure that everything is running at optimal capacity in any situation. It’s a really intelligent conclusion and one that’s a fundamentally clever inclusion on the Hummer EV.
What’s the cost?
It’s a bold move to bring back Hummer ten years after General Motors pulled the plug on the brand. The recession of 2008 hit the luxury car brand really hard and with mounting concerns that petrol-guzzling mega trucks aren’t all that great for the environment, bringing the brand back as an all-electric vehicle is definitely the smartest move possible, even if the price still reflects the sheer luxury of the car.
The Hummer EV will come in four variations with the Edition 1 selling for $112,600 (R1 849 586,81 at the time of writing) and will available for purchase in quarter 3 of 2021. The Hummer EV3X will then launch in 2022 for $99,995 (or R1 642 607,87 right now). In 2023, we can expect the Hummer EV2X to come in at $89,995 (R1 478 338,87) and then the Hummer EV2 in 2024 for $79,995 (R1 314 069,87). An extensive roll out and one that we don’t know covers South Africa. One can only dream!
(Source: The Verge)