Extreme electric car: With the third generation of the GMC Hummer, General Motors shows what is possible with electricity. The pick-up, which weighs tons, is full of innovations - and full of superlatives: when it comes to battery size, range and performance, no competitor can keep up. And then there's the "crab walk".
That's what happens when you commission engineers at General Motors to create a one-of-a-kind electric truck: the Hummer EV (for Electric Vehicle). The guys have done a great job and the result is impressive. The pick-up - the SUV version is coming in 2023 - is not only full of innovations up to the roof, but also shows off a whole bunch of superlatives. None of its competitors has a bigger battery, none goes further, none has more power and none can move off-road like it does.
The "Crabwalk" takes care of the latter. If need be, the lobster can use this technique to free itself from tricky situations at the push of a button, moving in a diagonal direction similar to what we know from a crab. The steering feel is amazing how unique, you think you suddenly have no connection to the wheels. Once the steering wheel is turned slightly, the Hummer pushes parallel sideways. This is made possible by the steering rear wheels. They can be turned up to ten degrees.
With "Crabwalk", the Hummer EV even mastered the tightest and most difficult off-road course in the world, the Rubicon Trail in California, not far from Lake Tahoe. Normally, its wide body would have thwarted its plans. "We left some paint on the rocks," says a development engineer.
The crabbing isn't the only distinctive feature of the Hummer EV. Eight cameras can send 18 different images to the display. The driver is therefore always informed of what is happening in front of, behind and above all under the car. If the stones are too thick, the air suspension raises the body by 15 centimeters. In addition, both axes can be locked. And so the mighty pick-up easily and confidently handles difficult terrain under its huge wheels. But that's not really surprising. After all, the three electric motors (one in the front, two in the rear) are able to provide up to 1000 hp if necessary.
"We wanted to show what's possible with electricity," says Tim Crewe, director of e-strategy at GM, "the experience we've had with the Hummer is being incorporated into other electric models. The pick-up is about to start series production The Chevrolet Silverado, the two SUVs Chevrolet Blazer and Chevrolet Equinox, Cadillac comes with the crossover Lyriq and the luxury sedan Celestiq. They all use the completely newly developed Ultium architecture. It is modular and forms the backbone for GM's future.
With the Hummer, the engineers designed the Ultium platform to the maximum possible. In its floor is the most powerful battery pack that has ever been used in a vehicle of its type and size. More than one cubic meter in size, double-decker module arrangement, weighs 1.5 tons and has a capacity of more than 200 kWh. The Hummer EV should come 350 miles, the equivalent of 560 kilometers. That would correspond to consumption of a good 36 kWh/100 kilometers. For comparison: The BMW iX, currently the largest electric SUV in Germany, is certified with 19.8 kWh/100 kilometers.
A monster battery like the one in the bottom of the Hummer EV also requires a certain level of charging convenience, which means high charging performance and short waiting times at the Super Charger. In the best case, 350 kW direct current flow into the battery. The developers promise 160 kilometers new range in ten minutes.
Despite its mighty dimensions, the electric Hummer feels extremely handy, both off-road and on the road. This is all the more astonishing when you are informed of the weight of the pick-up: over 4500 kilograms. In Germany, the lifestyle truck should therefore have a hard time finding social acceptance, even if it were only to be charged with green electricity.
In the USA, however, the clocks tick differently. People are hot for the Hammer Hummer. Even before the delivery of the first models, General Motors received more than 70,000 reservations. After all, the "Edition 1" with its removable roof parts - they all fit under the hood - costs 112,000 US dollars, more than any other pick-up in the group.
In the coming year, GM will also launch the Hummer EV as an SUV, with a slightly shorter wheelbase, less battery capacity, less power and probably a little cheaper too. But then it's "only" 830 hp ...
