It’s much too big to fit under your Christmas tree, but owners of the heavy-duty 2022 GMC Hummer EV should be getting their pickups in time for the festive season.
AutoNews reports word from global Buick and GMC vice president Duncan Aldred that mass-production of the electric pickup is underway, with customer deliveries beginning in December 2021.
Based on General Motors’ (GM) new Ultium architecture, the only Hummer EV variant that’ll be available for the first 12 months will be the Edition 1 pickup.
Mr Aldred declined to mention how many of these Edition 1 models will be produced.
More affordable and less powerful Hummer EV variants will enter production in 2022, with deliveries expected in 2023 at some point. The Hummer EV SUV is also expected from early 2023.
“This really culminates what’s been an amazing journey of two years,” said Mr Aldred on a media call.
“It’s the fastest program GM has ever done from idea/inception to engineering it and delivering it into the hands of the customer.”
As the flagship of the Hummer EV pickup range, the Edition 1 will be classified as a heavy-duty vehicle according to Mr Aldred as it has a kerb weight of 9046 pounds (4103kg).
This is just over 3.5 times the kerb weight of a Suzuki Jimny, and around twice that of a base GMC Sierra full-sized pickup.
Moving this weight around in the Edition 1 is a tri-electric motor setup that GMC claims can produce up to 745kW of power and 15,591Nm of torque, though this is a wheel torque figure and not engine torque.
The Hummer Edition 1 pickup will be priced at US$112,595 (A$156,490) including shipping, boast a claimed range of 329 miles (529km), be able to tow 7500 pounds (3401kg), and have a payload capacity of 1300 pounds (589kg).
These range, towing and payload figures are currently listed on the GMC website as estimates.
When speaking to Green Car Reports, GMC said its range testing was rooted in EPA test methodology and is confirmed, however it’ll need to be shown as estimated.
Although the Edition 1 will classify as a heavy-duty vehicle, GMC says later Hummer EV variants will be rated as light-duty trucks.
Following U.S President Joe Biden’s visit to the Factory ZERO plant in Detroit-Hamtramck, Michigan where the Hummer EV is built, Mr Aldred says November 2021 was the best month for reservations of the Hummer EV aside since its reveal.
GM has reportedly recorded around 125,000 hand-raisers for the pickup and the majority of those have placed a $100 refundable deposit.
It’s uncertain how many reservations will convert into actual sales.
With deliveries beginning this year, the GMC Hummer EV will beat rivals such as the Ford F-150 Lightning and Tesla Cybertruck to market.
The GMC Hummer EV is part of GM’s strategy to dethrone Tesla in U.S. electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2025.
GM is planning to release at least 30 EVs by 2025, including the upcoming GMC Hummer EV SUV, Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Silverado EV.
In an interview with CNBC, GM CEO Mary Barra said the company can “absolutely” catch Tesla by this date.
Analytics firm IHS Markit predicts Tesla’s share of the US EV market will sit at 56 per cent by the end of 2021, down 79 per cent in 2020. It also predicts its share will drop to 20 per cent as companies like GM release more and more EVs.
Barra’s comments came a few weeks after the company revealed its new plan to double its overall revenue by 2030, as well as introduce cheaper EV models.
