With GM advertising the GMC Hummer EV as an electric performance truck, enthusiast and potential buyers alike are patiently waiting to see an actual Hummer EV accelerate as promised. As we know, GM doesn’t have a fully functional prototype yet, but has claimed the Edition 1 model with ‘Watts to Freedom’ (WTF) mode activated will have as much as 1,000 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet of torque. GM has also claimed the electric performance truck will be capable of achieving a 0-60mph time of just 3 seconds.
According to GM, the Hummer EV will launch itself as many times as you ask it to until the battery is depleted while WTF mode is activated. A problem that Tesla previously struggled with in the Model S and Model X where neither vehicle was capable of back to back launches without requiring a break in between tries. Although not many people will be launching their vehicles multiple times in a row in a short period of time, Tesla has since worked on improving said issue.
Regardless, GM wants the Hummer EV to succeed not only on city streets and off-road adventures, but also have the ability to compete in drag races. In hopes of getting some more information on the electric pickup’s acceleration times, Muscle Cars & Trucks asked GM EV chief engineer Al Oppenheiser about the Hummer EV’s capability of setting new quarter-mile records. Oppenheiser responded: “I might have asked (Hummer EV lead development engineer) Aaron Pfau to order some Mickey Thompsons concerning that. As far as speed limits, we don’t know what our limits are going to be yet, we don’t intend on limiting it. It’s all going to be in the customer’s hands on range, energy usage.”
Oppenheiser added: “There’s no limit on (how many) Watts to Freedoms you can do. Or if you’re in My Mode, Sport Mode or Adrenaline Mode, there’s no limits on those either.
Oppenheiser finished by saying “We’re building the first test vehicles ‘as we speak’ – until we get in the vehicles and understand its towing capability – we’re going to push it as much as we can. We know where we want it to be but we want to verify that when we get test vehicles.”
The top Edition 1 Hummer EV comes to market with a starting price of $112,595; less expensive trims will follow starting in 2022 with the base version starting at $79,995.