GMC Hummer EV

[Tornado]

GM spending money to develop an advanced active noise cancellation system in lieu of using traditional sound deadening in order to save weight in their 9000 pound SUV is really up there with the most GM thing I've ever read.

 

[Keef]

GM spending money to develop an advanced active noise cancellation system in lieu of using traditional sound deadening in order to save weight in their 9000 pound SUV is really up there with the most GM thing I've ever read.

So more speakers and wiring vs some carpet.

 

[Tornado]

Well it's Bose so the speakers will be made of tissue paper and the wiring will be as thin as fishing line, but yeah.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

 

[ProjectWHaT]

The GMC Hummer EV Could Pop Wheelies Before Engineers Intervened

Chief engineer Al Oppenheiser told us the wheelies didn't make the final production cut because of "functional safety reasons."

www.thedrive.com

The Hummer EV would pop wheelies while in development

After a launch in WTF mode on the steeply banked test track at GM's Milford Proving Grounds, I told Oppenheiser that I was impressed how the truck could spin all four of its tires as it fired off the line like a shot. He went on to explain that was actually a preferred scenario as far as launches go. They used to be even more interesting when the tires came off the ground.

"In the early days when we were just trying to balance the front and rear torque, I got the front end to lift," he told me. As it turns out, so much of the car was developed digitally that, when it came time to do real-world testing, there were a few unexpected quirks. "We had to back off the torque on the front end," he added, just as he prepared the Hummer for another launch.

After our final sprint to highway speeds in WTF mode, I clarified with him that the Hummer would indeed do a wheelstand if it was tuned correctly. He reiterated his point, saying "originally" that was the case, and you could theoretically still make it do so "to prove that you can."

However, when it comes to the production versions of the hefty 4x4, he made it clear that for "functional safety reasons," that wouldn't be in the Hummer's big bag of tricks. Talking about feeling cheated.

 

[EngieDiesel]

After our final sprint to highway speeds in WTF mode, I clarified with him that the Hummer would indeed do a wheelstand if it was tuned correctly. He reiterated his point, saying "originally" that was the case, and you could theoretically still make it do so "to prove that you can."

Somewhere, Ken Block's Hoon-sense has started going crazy.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

 

[Keef]

It maybe more efficient over 200,000 miles than a TRX but it's considerably less efficient than an F-150 hybrid over that distance, and half as efficient as a Maverick.

I'm really quite surprised that hybrid pickup trucks weren't pushed harder and haven't become the norm. EV pickups bring a whole host of other issues, namely charging times which are astronomical for batteries large enough to provide expected ranges. Plus they suffer heavily while towing. Hybrids can still tow with the best, can still provide commute-worthy EV range, and can charge themselves with the engine when needed. Seems like the most effective option for a work vehicle.

 

[Tornado]

GM tried it once for a few years and then decided that it was easier to lobby to have CAFE changed to benefit them instead.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I feel like a series hybrid pickup would be great. Basically a locomotive. You could use a small powerplant that makes good power with a low BSFC - perhaps even a small gas turbine that has the added benefit of running on many different fuels. Turbines are brilliant at running at a consistent load (such as running a generator) and awful at doing car-engine stuff, like accelerating from low speed. If not a turbine, why not a turbo-compounded piston engine? Those don't make sense for a normal car engine, but again, if run at a constant load/RPM they are remarkably efficient. Give it a decent sized battery pack (perhaps 50kwh) for flexibility and you got yourself one hell of a utility vehicle. I feel like an American manufacturer (Looking at you Lincoln/Cadillac) would be the one to pioneer this type of powertrain.

 

[Keef]

I feel like a series hybrid pickup would be great. Basically a locomotive. You could use a small powerplant that makes good power with a low BSFC - perhaps even a small gas turbine that has the added benefit of running on many different fuels. Turbines are brilliant at running at a consistent load (such as running a generator) and awful at doing car-engine stuff, like accelerating from low speed. If not a turbine, why not a turbo-compounded piston engine? Those don't make sense for a normal car engine, but again, if run at a constant load/RPM they are remarkably efficient. Give it a decent sized battery pack (perhaps 50kwh) for flexibility and you got yourself one hell of a utility vehicle. I feel like an American manufacturer (Looking at you Lincoln/Cadillac) would be the one to pioneer this type of powertrain.

I'm not sure it would work for a pickup because pickups aren't used like locomotives, they're used like cars. There isn't anything "constant" about their operation and they aren't used for long-haul towing enough to make it make sense.

Semi trucks on the other hand...but obviously trucking companies are looking to do everything bottom-dollar to the point where they can't even replace tires or do basic maintenance lol. Why strap 100kwh of battery behind the cab so it can run as an EV while maneuvering in docks/loading/unloading/overnight when diesel fuel is impossibly cheap? And you wouldn't want that battery power boost while going up hills, noooo. And you wouldn't want regenerative braking going down the other side, oh no no no.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

This thing is massive

 

[EngieDiesel]

This thing is massive

Weightwise, absolutely. But sizewise it's not really any larger than any other full-size pickup made in the last decade.

As for the numbers, the 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup measures in with a wheelbase that’s 135.6 inches long, an overall length of 216.8 inches, an overall width of 86.7 inches (does not include sideview mirrors), a front overhang of 34.7 inches, a rear overhang of 46.5 inches, a 5-foot bed, and a maximum ground clearance of 10.1 inches in Standard Mode, 11.9 inches in Terrain Mode, and 15.9 inches in Extract Mode.

That said, I did get a good laugh at the bit about them throwing shade at the Cybertruck and Raptor in the UI. Not something I'd really expect to see in a production vehicle.