General Motors (NYSE:GM) has unveiled a new fully electric Hummer that it is calling “the world’s first supertruck.”
The 2022 GMC Hummer electric vehicle (EV) is big, bold and flamboyant – all things someone would expect from a military-inspired vehicle – but it also includes new technologies and exotic performance to support GM’s goal of making environmentally friendly vehicles.
General Motors says the new Hummer will offer the performance of an exotic sports car, including the ability to go from zero to 60 miles (about 100 kilometres) per hour in only three seconds, as well as off-road capability. Plus, it will have fast charging of up to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes as well as a host of new technologies such as GM’s next-generation driver-assist system that allows hands-free driving on highways.
The electric Hummer is not cheap though. The electric supertruck will have a starting price of $112,595, including destination charges, for a launch version called the “Edition 1” that goes on sale in 2021. A $99,995 version will be available in 2022, followed by $89,995 and $79,995 models in the springs of 2023 and 2024 respectively, according to General Motors.
The electric Hummer fulfills General Motors’ goal of pivoting to electric vehicles, which have historically been unprofitable for automakers. The timeframe also should allow the company to ramp-up production of a joint venture with LG Chem for battery cell production at a plant currently being constructed in Lordstown, Ohio.
The new Hummer is expected to compete against a host of electric pick-up trucks expected from Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) and several start-up companies such as Rivian. Tesla’s Cybertruck and Rivian’s R1T are both expected to have starting prices well below the Hummer electric vehicle and are expected to go on sale in the first half of 2021.
The Hummer electric sport utility truck will be the first vehicle with General Motor’s next-generation electric vehicle platform and batteries under a $20-billion plan to shift to electric and autonomous vehicles through 2025.