Electric Hummer SUV & Silverado Pickup Coming From General Motors
Stodgy General Motors, the American car company we often criticize the most for its “kick the can down the road” approach to the EV revolution, made two announcements this week that make us think the arc of its corporate path may actually be bending towards EVs after all.
Meet The Hummer SUV
GM will produce an SUV variant of the Hummer electric pickup truck with a wheelbase that is 9 inches shorter. The vehicle will be 20 inches shorter overall, which will make it more maneuverable both for on- and off-road driving. The SUV has a turning circle that is nearly 2 feet shorter than the pickup truck version, but retains the removable roof panels and the Crab Walk feature made possible by its 4-wheel steering system.
For off-roaders, the SUV has an approach angle of 49.6 degrees, a 49.0 degree departure angle, and a 34.4 degree breakover angle, according to Autoblog. Suspension travel is 13 inches front and rear with 16 inches of maximum ground clearance thanks to Extract Mode, which can temporarily raise the height of the vehicle. It can cross standing water up to 32 inches deep. It comes standard with 14 cameras, but the Ultravision option adds 3 more for 360º viewing as well as undercarriage cameras to monitor trail conditions below.
Cargo volume is 81.8 cubic feet. The rear door is hinged on the right side and opens wide enough that bulky items like bicycles and other cargo can be loaded and unloaded easily. The floor mat for the cargo area carries a representation of the Sea of Tranquility, the place on the moon where Apollo 11 landed.Why, we’re not sure, but it’s a cool feature nonetheless. There are two interior display screens, a 13.4-inch infotainment screen plus a 12.3-inch instrument display in front of the driver. Vehicle-to-load technology will also be included.
What the Hummer SUV doesn’t have is the same 1,000 horsepower of the pickup. That’s because with its shorter wheelbase, there wasn’t room for as large a battery pack, according to Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer for the SUV project. “Frankly, we are not sorry that it’s only 830 horsepower. There aren’t many internal combustion engines that can say that. Will we be able to grow horsepower in the future? We are going to push that capability, and as the technology gets to the point where our batteries are smaller and more efficient, we will improve performance with any chance we get,” he tells Autoblog.
When the Hummer SUV (GM calls it an SUT) goes on sale in early 2023, it will be priced at $105,595 and offer about 300 miles of range. Later in 2023, GMC will release an EV2X version with about 625 horsepower and the same range priced at $89,995 before incentives.
The Chevy Silverado Electric Pickup Truck Is Coming
In a press release dated April 6, GM president Mark Reuss announced that Chevrolet will introduce a Silverado electric pickup truck soon that will be built at the company’s Factory ZERO assembly plant in Detroit/Hamtramck, Michigan. The full size electric pickup truck is designed from the ground up to be an EV, harnessing the best of the Ultium Platform and Silverado’s proven capability. A range of 400 miles is expected. Factory Zero is where the Hummer electric pickup truck and Hummer electric SUV will be manufactured.
“The vehicles coming from Factory ZERO will change the world, and how the world views electric vehicles,” said Reuss. “The GMC Hummer EV SUV joins its stablemate in the realm of true supertrucks, and Chevrolet will take everything Chevy’s loyal truck buyers love about Silverado — and more — and put it into an electric pickup that will delight retail and commercial customers alike.”
Exactly when the electric Silverado will go into production is unknown, but if the Hummer SUV is scheduled for early 2023, it seems a good guess the Chevy won’t be too far behind. Ford is pushing ahead with its own electric F-150 pickup truck, so Chevy won’t want to be late to the party.
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