General Motors is working on a new Hummer, only this time around it will be sold under the GMC brand and feature a battery-electric powertrain. Yes, a name once synonymous with big, gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs is about to go electric.
GM had set May 20 as the date for the reveal of the electric Hummer, which will go by the name GMC Hummer EV, but the automaker said Wednesday the reveal has been delayed.
Despite the delay, GM said the vehicle's development remains on track for a market launch in the fall of 2021. The date points to the GMC Hummer EV arriving as a 2022 model.
The teaser image above was released in January and shows a new take on the signature Hummer grille. That grille will front a pickup truck packing as much as 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 pound-feet of torque (measured as wheel torque), or enough for 0-60 mph acceleration in 3.0 seconds.
The below teaser video was released on Wednesday with an overheard drone shot of the Hummer EV. It's hard to make out much from the video, but zoom in and it's clear there's no top on this Hummer. That's our first clue that the Hummer EV will be available with a removable top.
Making this possible is GM's new BEV3 modular EV platform and Ultium batteries. BEV3 is GM's third-generation EV platform which is flexible enough to spawn everything from subcompact cars right up to large SUVs and pickup trucks. The Ultium batteries meanwhile will range in size from 50-200 kilowatt-hours and include both 400- and 800-volt designs. The latter will enable an 80-percent charge to be completed in less than 30 minutes.
Production of the GMC Hummer EV will be handled at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan, which is being transformed into a dedicated site for EV production. Though it's yet to be confirmed, an SUV body style for the GMC Hummer EV may also be in the works.
Fellow GM brand Cadillac has also delayed the reveal of a vehicle based on the BEV3 platform, in this case the Lyriq electric SUV which was meant to be revealed in April. GM hasn't said when the Lyriq is scheduled to go on sale and right now it isn't clear if the market launch has also been delayed.
