General Motors Does Not Have a Real-World Prototype of the Hummer EV Yet

author: Manish Kharinta   

The Hummer EV

Last week, U.S. automaker General Motors revealed the all-electric reboot of its Hummer nameplate. The fully-electric Hummer EV will rival battery-powered trucks like the Rivian R1T and Tesla's Cybertruck among other planned offerings in the new electric pickup truck segment.

The automaker also announced that the first Hummer EV model to go on sale will be GMC's "Edition 1" variant which comes with a $112,595 price tag. GMC confirmed that the first batch of the upcoming battery-powered pickup was sold out within minutes after reservations were open.

Customers can expect the deliveries to start late next year. 

Those interested in the new Hummer EV were allowed to place their orders for a token price of just $100, which is the same strategy Tesla employed for its Cybertruck reservations. However, in an interesting turn of events, GM has admitted that it doesn't have an operational, real-world model of the Hummer pickup yet.

Although the automaker does not have a working production-spec model, it did manage to put together a display model, battery platform and vehicle architecture for the new electric truck, but admitted it's still in the process of assembling a working test vehicle.

GM is currently working on drafting a partnership with EV startup Nikola Motor to build its Badger pickup truck and might get to use some of Nikola's EV technology as part of the joint venture.

The Edition 1 Hummer EV will be powered by a three-motor all-electric drive-train powered by GM's Ultium battery pack. The company developed its Ultium battery technology in collaboration with South Korean battery maker LG Chem. 

The battery pack in the Hummer EV will feature 24 modules, and each containing 24 Ultium pouch cells.

GM claims that Hummer EV's Ultium-powered drivetrain will produce over 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 lb-ft of torque, which will allow the truck to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3 seconds. 

The automaker plans on introducing more affordable versions of the Hummer EV in the years to come.

GM announced it will introduce a new model each year following the electric pickup's debut in 2021. Following the Edition 1 will be the Hummer EV3 in the fall of 2022.

Prices for the EV3 will start at $99,995 and it will be succeeded by the Hummer EV2X, which will be introduced in the spring of 2023 with prices starting at $89,995. 

Customers will have to wait till the spring of 2024 for the cheapest model of the Hummer lineup, which the company has dubbed the EV2. This model will be offered with a dual-motor powertrain and will get a $79,995 price tag.

Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a automotive writer based in the Los Angeles area. He has worked for automotive industry websites TheSmokingClutch.com, CarDekho.com and CarBikeindia.com. His experience ranges from covering auto shows, to car reviews and breaking automotive news. Manish aims to bring forth his unique perspective on automotive design and technological innovations in the automotive industry.