Hummer is making a comeback, but this time it’s electric
DETROIT >> The Hummer, once a gas-guzzling target for environmentalists, is making a comeback. But this time around it won’t burn fuel or spew greenhouse gases.
General Motors announced Thursday that it will start selling a battery-powered Hummer pickup truck in September of 2021. At least part of the new Hummer will be shown in a 30-second television ad featuring basketball star LeBron James during the second quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl.
GM gave only a few details about the truck, which will be unveiled officially on May 20. It will have a huge battery to generate the equivalent of 1,000 horsepower, and will be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds. The Hummer also will produce 11,500 foot pounds of torque, a measure of rotational force that indicates a high towing capacity.
The truck will be sold under the GMC brand as the Hummer EV. The new version will have similar design elements but will not look like the Hummer of the past, said GM spokeswoman Michelle Malcho.
GM wouldn’t reveal the price or say how far the new truck can go on a single charge of its battery.
Although the electric Hummer truck is expected to be a large vehicle and its efficiency isn’t yet known, it’s still very likely it will pollute less than a comparable gas-powered truck, said David Reichmuth, a senior engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
It’s also good that GM is putting an electric vehicle in a more popular part of the U.S. auto market, he said. “Having electric vehicles in other segments besides smaller hatchbacks, that’s a promising sign,” he said.
Research shows that in most of the country — even areas more reliant on dirtier coal-fired power plants — electric cars still pollute less than similar gasoline vehicles, Reichmuth said. And that will continue to improve as the electric grid shifts more toward renewable energy from solar panels and windmills, he added.
Even though the truck is electric, GM likely will be able to attract former Hummer buyers if it delivers on promises of power and speed, said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst for Navigant Research. At 1,000 horsepower, the new Hummer would be the most powerful production vehicle GM has ever made, he said.