- General motors just introduced an all new,
all electric version of the Hummer,
H2 dubbed the Hummer EV,
and as off-road adventuring enthusiasts,
we're going to take a first look at this monstrosity and
give you guys our impressions of this beast in today's video
to find out if it's actually going to be practical out on
the trails, or if it's just going to be
another celebrity mobbing hype show
used to transport teenage daughters to the mall.
So make sure and smash that subscribe button
So that way you guys can hold onto the ride with us.
- Hey, what's up guys, Josh from trail built
And if you're old enough to remember when AM general
introduced the civilian model of the Hummer back in 1992,
then you'll also remember the first version, the H1,
took off as more of an attention grabbing,
statement making 10,000 pound,
celebrity driving symbol of American supersized lifestyles.
This $90,000 tank on wheels, with the first production model
being sold to Arnold Schwarzenegger, was like seven foot
wide and got less than 10 miles to the gallon,
but looked cool as hell compared to any other truck on the
market at that time.
In 1998, general motors purchased the brand name Hummer
from AM general in hopes to drive more sales
amongst the general population, including
releasing a smaller, more affordable version of the Hummer
in 1992 that GM creatively named the Hummer H2.
The H2 did marginal in sales,
but GM wanted to expand their demographic into the even
smaller, more fuel efficient SUV market,
And in 2005 released the smallest of the
Hummer models with the H3.
Only three years after that the 2008 global recession hit.
And even with the government's multi-billion dollar bailout
loan general motors claimed
chapter 11, bankruptcy protection.
The following day GM would announced that they would be
selling the Hummer brand to a Chinese machinery company,
which ended up falling through.
And despite several other offers GM dismantled the Hummer
brand and the last H3 rolled off the assembly line
on May 24th of 2010.
Fast forward 10 years to January 30th, 2020 during the super
bowl commercials, there was a 30 second commercial
featuring LeBron James teasing the
return of the Hummer brand.
This time not its own brand, but a GMC Hummer
and not one model, but two models,
which are to be fully electric.
One in the pickup truck version, and one in the SUV version.
Originally the new electric version Hummer was to be
officially unveiled on May 20th this year,
but due to COVID GM pushed the unveiling back to just
recently, and on October 20th, GM unveils the all new,
all electric GMC Hummer, and it's breaking the internet.
But why?
It's just a newer version of the Hummer H2,
but now it's all electric.
So what's the big deal?
Well my friends, GMC has built a first of its kind,
revolutionary, on-road and off-road capable monster
with its top end trim level being offered with around
1000 horsepower and, get this, 11,500 foot pounds of torque.
Yeah, that's right guys, 11,500 foot pounds of torque.
Now to put that in perspective, and what that means exactly
is first, the torque is measured at the wheel.
Not the flywheel and accounts for the torque added from all
three of its electric motors within the two
Altium drive units.
But if you guys remember the second lethal weapon movie
where Mel Gibson's character Riggs uses his black GMC Dually
to pull that house off of its foundation?
Yeah, kind of like that only the Hummer EV could
do it in one pull instead of the many that Riggs'
Dually took to do it, or you can put it in what Hummer
refers to as Watts to Freedom mode
and take the zero to 60 time of three seconds
in a vehicle that, well,
we really don't know what it weighs yet,
but I'm guessing it's a lot,
but you guys get the point of
how much torque, this thing has.
Zero to 60 in three seconds, that's moving.
Another spec that GM hasn't released yet,
or at least I can't find anywhere,
is the Hummer's towing capacity.
But it'll be interesting to see not only what the towing
capacity is, but how it affects the range of
the battery between charges.
Which GMC hasn't announced the actual size of the battery
just yet, but the 24 module double stacked pack
provides an estimated range of 350 plus miles.
Out of the 68,000 plus charging
stations across the US, chances are good
you'll find somewhere to recharge.
Especially if you're able to find one of GM's
800 volt fast charging stations.
Then you can get 100 more miles in
just 10 minutes of charging.
With the charging status indicators are built right
into the headlights visually letting you know from a
distance where your batteries charging status is at.
- Hey guys, we had to interrupt today's video
to let you guys know that for the month of November,
we have some super awesome deals going on all month.
All you gotta do is click the link above me here,
or go to trail built off-road dot com.
- Now GMC claims the Hummer EV generates the power and
technology to conquer the off-road
with extraordinary confidence.
But can it actually take on the toughest off-road pavement
obstacles and dominate the trails?
Or is their claimed off-roading prowess just hype?
Personally, I'm skeptical because I've seen
the weaknesses in the Hummer's previous versions.
One is that H1 and 2 were huge and impractical
for tight trails or quickly maneuvering around obstacles.
And two, unless you really beefed up the
independent front suspension, the sheer weight of the
vehicle posed as a disadvantage to tie rod ends,
CV joints and ball joints as soon as you would get
the tires spinning, or were jammed up in the rocks.
Seeing as though the Hummer EV will have four wheel
steering and the ability to turn the rear wheels opposite
of the front wheels, or turn all four wheels
in the same direction, which is referred to as crab walking
and can literally steer the vehicle sideways to avoid
obstacles and really help the maneuverability
out on the trails or while crawling through the rocks.
The Hummer EV will also come with 35 inch tires,
but can be fitted with up to 37s without any
additional mods needed.
And the air suspension can also raise up to an additional
six inches providing an impressive 16 inches of ground
clearance at full height.
Not too bad in my opinion.
But what about other things like optional
lower gears with lockers?
Well, that's where GMC has designed the Hummer EV
to have two motors in the rear controlling each tire
and allowing them to both turn at the same time,
like a locker does giving you that extra traction while
off-roading, or even when on
slippery surfaces like ice and snow.
Another feature common with electric vehicles,
and that is helpful to the stability of the vehicle
is that the batteries are located at the bottom
of electric vehicles, keeping the center of gravity
pretty low and helping the stability in those
off-camber situations or even while
cornering at high speeds.
And then what about aftermarket upgrades?
I'm curious to see if GMC is going to have available
suspension upgrades, stronger axle shafts,
or additional drive-train upgrades,
or if any other aftermarket companies are going to
manufacture upgrades to increase the off-road performance
even more than what it is now.
I'm going to guess that it's highly unlikely with these
electric vehicles as it will most definitely
void some of those factory warranties.
And I'm thinking most people won't want to pay out of their
pocket expenses for replacement parts
on an electric vehicle.
And guys, I really can't wait until we can check out
one of these in person though.
There seems to be a whole lot more of those finer aesthetic
details that can only be appreciated in person.
Like the 13 inch infotainment system
and the 12 inch digital instrument display.
Quality of the upholstery and the comfort of the
seats, to even getting a perspective of the size
of the new Hummer HV, or the visibility of the road
while driving.
Especially with the 18 different views you get
from the ultra vision front, rear, and under body cameras.
Or even getting a feeling of open air with the Hummer's new
infinity roof that has three removable transparent panels
that when removed can be placed and stored right
in the front of the Hummer
under the hood where you would normally find the engine.
And then there are other many neat features that the new
Hummer has, but not so new is the price tag.
Although we're in 2020 and not 1992,
to me spending over a hundred grand on a vehicle that is
going to get used and abused off-road,
even if it is all electric, still is a lot of money.
So I really can't foresee many of these being used for
hardcore off-roading until the price starts to
come down a bit or GMCs lower trim models hit the market.
Would I love to have one?
Sure I would, but not before
I built my rock crawling buggy
that I would pull behind my 2 million dollar
fully sustainable earth roamer HD.
And even then I would only use the Hummer EV to pull my
Centurion wake board to the Lake on the weekends.
I mean, since I have a hundred grand to spend
on an electric car, then I obviously have
a bunch of money to spend on other things as well.
And guys with that said, we would really love to hear
from you guys on what your thoughts
are on the new Hummer HV.
Let us know what you think about it,
what you don't like about it,
or even if you would purchase one for yourselves,
whether the cost is relevant or not.
Other than that guys, if you are looking for a new
set of wheels and tires, or a suspension lift for
your Jeep, truck, SUV, or whatever vehicle you have,
make sure and check out our awesome deals that we
have going on this month at trail built off-road dot com.
Also, guys, don't forget to smash that subscribe button
and the little bell next to it, thumbs up to like the video
and as always, we appreciate all of you for watching.
I'm Josh from trail built, and we'll see you guys
back again shortly.