Oh it's big and hideous. No surprise.

 

And apparently it already has a leak.

The answer to a question nobody should be asking.

 

Nice.. I've seen some of the old Hummers running around town lately. Very cool vehicles.
I'll put down a deposit if there's a $60k version but that's my limit.

 

Gag! Yech! I'll reserve final judgement until I see one but I doubt I'll change my mind.

 

Just curious how the launch is to be presented? Any ball bearing throws or sledgehammer hits accompanying this unveiling?

As a kid I was drawn to the Humvee, and of course wanted the civilian version. It got something like 9 MPG on diesel and had a top speed of something like 70 MPH. I'm sure it was best at nothing, but it still seemed cool.

Hopefully the EV iteration is highly off-road capable. I wonder what its water fording capabilities will be? No need for a high mounted engine air intake, but you'd still need to keep water out of the HVAC.

 

Unless I clicked on the wrong link, it was just a 2 minute commercial. At first blush, it's got my attention. Decent specs, creative features, anti-cybertruck aesthetics. Depending on price, it could do well. I don't think the commercial though was a real truck. Looks CGI, maybe Nikola put it together for them.

 

Agreed, disappointed no dates or prices. 800v charging at 350kW, 0-60 in 3 seconds, 350+ range are solid specs and next-gen Super Cruise is interesting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yep 2 minute commercial and CGI. Specs and prices at GMC.com.
Base model is $80K and won't be available till 2024. I'm out.
Cybertruck it is.

 

The Cybertruck is but a dream at that price, and I'd opt for the AWD, so that's $50k. I can afford it, but the price to fun ratio doesn't seem to make sense. Hummer is right out if it's $80 for the base.

Maybe in a decade used examples will be reasonably priced. 2030 is looking better than 2020, that's for sure.

 

 

Extract mode, infinity roof, crab mode, 800V, super cruise, 0-60 3 sec, 350 miles range... dang

 

Not for the faint of pocketbook....

 

This is the only image that matters... a flat-floor... frunk?

 

This is the only image that matters... a flat-floor... frunk?

To store the T-tops!

 

How many 800v CCS chargers are out there already?

 

I'm thinking all the Electrify America 350kW units are 800V ready.

Electrify America's Open Network of Ultra-Fast DC Chargers: First to Charge An 800-Volt Electric Vehicle Battery at 270 Kilowatts - Electrify America NEWSROOM

media.electrifyamerica.com

 

This one has a good analysis of the battery

 

It's not a good day for Elon......

I wonder if he's yelling at his crew of 'Innovators'?

 

Well, $40k is a lot less than $80k, so I don't think there is much yelling going on.

 

An estimated 220 kWh battery with 350 miles of range. Means they are expecting around 1.6 miles per kWh. It's certainly going to live up to the Hummer name at that efficiency. Has me wondering what the Cybertruck and Rivian efficiencies will look like.

 

It appears as though the Hummer got caught up in the range to weight endless loop.

• Gotta have 350 miles
• Need to add more batteries
• Added weight reduced my range
• Need to add more batteries
• Repeat

I would expect the Rivian to be better if comparing equal weights of the vehicles just due to better aero. It seems that the Hummer gives no 'F's for efficiency, cause, well, it's a Hummer after all. Matching up a 100 kWh battery Rivian with a 100 kWh Hummer would not look well for the Hummer because it looks as though the body is built like a tank and as streamlined as a ham sandwich. The Rivian also uses 2170 cylindrical cells which are more energy dense in both volume and weight than LG's pouch cells used in the Bolt. The Ultium is supposed to weigh 25% less for the same energy than those used currently in the Bolt but will still be far behind the new 4680's IMO. The latest specs for the Rivian R1T are 400 miles with a 180 kWh pack.
But if you're considering the Hummer, and it appears as though it's targeting a demographic of off roaders, the efficiency is the least of your concerns. I think GMC made the right call and focused on the off roading capabilities rather than long distance touring. The only reason they probably went with the bigger battery to get as much range as they have is for towing.
It would be interesting to know what this behemoth weights though. I don't off road but I would think light weight would be an advantage but maybe traction is king. I would guess it would dethrone the Model 3 though as the safest vehicle you can buy.
As for the Cybertruck, it's certainly going to excel at efficiency especially with the new 4680 cells. If Rivian also goes with the 4680's then the contrast described above would be even larger. And if they too incorporate the pack (not the frame as much as the cells) as a structural member, better still. But again, talking efficiency when comparing the Hummer with anything probably misses the point.

 

... The Rivian also uses 2170 cylindrical cells which are more energy dense in both volume and weight than LG's pouch cells used in the Bolt.
The Ultium is supposed to weigh 25% less for the same energy than those used currently in the Bolt but will still be far behind the new 4680's IMO. ....

And if they too incorporate the pack (not the frame as much as the cells) as a structural member, better still. ....

These statements are not a matter of Opinion. This can all be measured in a lab.

How can thousands of thinwall stainless steel cylindrical cans be a better pack set up than hundreds of rectangular cells?
And how can thousands of these thinwall cans be 'structural'?
There are electrical connections, both power and sensing, and a coolant circuit somewhere.
Even if the whole shebang is epoxied into one stiff slab that kind of leaves out repairing sections or modules if there is a failure in one place. One would think....

 

The first year edition sold out in an hour!

 

yeah, that's impressive! I am not a truck guy but that's some extremely impressive engineering. I am looking forward to seeing 800V charging move down market to the Bolt EUV...

 

I suppose drivers of these really don't care about their effect in traffic.

 

Once in motion a heavier vehicle does not require much more additional force to maintain speed. A heavier vehicle requires more energy to accelerate and therefore more gas or electricity.
This is a well known law of physics yet you continually reiterate this false line. This is why stop and go traffic uses more fuel than just moving along at a constant speed. Please read up on Isaac Newton.

 

I don't know who you are referring to and assume it's not me because I never brought up laws of motion.

I get better fuel economy in stop and go traffic than steady highway cruising in my TSX precisely because I avoid braking to the extent I can. That means driving the average speed of traffic instead of bumper to bumper.

EVs get better economy in stop and go traffic than steady highway cruising... because energy spent accelerating is a fraction of that spent fighting aerodynamic drag.

The weight of an EV hardly matters with regard to efficiency. You can test this. Add 500 lbs of something in your vehicle and drive around. Bring very precise measurement instruments with you since the difference in efficiency will be so subtle you'll need to account for every single variable (temperature, wind, tire pressure, etc, etc).

There's a simplified way to understand the relative importance of weight reduction. The greater the percentage of the weight of the vehicle is fuel, the more important it is to reduce overall weight. A rocket is 90% fuel, so reducing weight is extremely important. A commercial aircraft is 20% fuel, so it has a medium requirement to reduce weight. An automobile is about 3% fuel, so it hardly matters the weight.

 

Interesting that the battery pack is 400v, but can temporarily become 800v for charging purposes.

I wonder why that was the better engineering strategy rather than having it always be 800v, with the rest of the electrics designed around that? Probably needs to be compatible with 400v chargers?

 

I would say so, 800V only would limit your (already limited) options for DCFC

 

I wouldn't worry about the battery so much. Seems it's the one thing that is reasonably far along on development. The vehicle on the other hand is currently vaporware.

This is why I hate pre-announcements.

 

I believe GM will deliver what is advertised. Perhaps the point of previewing the vehicle so early is to build long standing anticipation and capture customers that may have otherwise decided to purchase something similar not knowing this product is in the works.

Are people who have been waiting a long time more willing to part with their cash when they are finally able to purchase?

I think the simple fact is, GM will have no problem meeting this deadline. People seem to be framing this as though GM has no other capable 4x4s on the road. The Hummer EV is being built on the already developed BT1 platform. Did the C8's chassis already exist when design started? The Hummer EV is using Ultium batteries and powertrains, which are already being developed for other platforms. Did the C8's engine already exist at the time they started development?

The point people seem to be missing is that GM is already 18 months into the design and development of the Hummer EV. The Bolt EV only took 3 years from project initiation to initial deliveries, and it contained far more original and unique content than the Hummer EV, which will share most of its key components with other 4x4 platforms and Ultium EVs.

GM's 'BT1' Program Might Include Electric Hummers, Trucks, Cadillac SUVs: Report

The defunct-but-hardly-forgotten General Motors brand Hummer getting resurrected for electric SUVs is an idea that’s been kicked around before. But today, a new report from Reuters lays out some specifics of how EV trucks could be a big part of GM’s future, and the name “Hummer” is pinballing...

jalopnik.com

 

I believe GM will deliver what is advertised. Perhaps the point of previewing the vehicle so early is to build long standing anticipation and capture customers that may have otherwise decided to purchase something similar not knowing this product is in the works.

Are people who have been waiting a long time more willing to part with their cash when they are finally able to purchase?

 

I believe GM will deliver what is advertised. Perhaps the point of previewing the vehicle so early is to build long standing anticipation and capture customers that may have otherwise decided to purchase something similar not knowing this product is in the works.

Sure, but it doesn't make it any less vaporware at this point. Let's put it this way - they were taking reporters in prototype Bolts in January of 2016, 11 months before the vehicle started shipping. Doesn't feel like the Hummer EV is nearly as far along.

I think the simple fact is, GM will have no problem meeting this deadline. People seem to be framing this as though GM has no other capable 4x4s on the road. The Hummer EV is being built on the already developed BT1 platform. Did the C8's chassis already exist when design started? The Hummer EV is using Ultium batteries and powertrains, which are already being developed for other platforms. Did the C8's engine already exist at the time they started development?

Honestly, I'm not sure, although given the number of high profile failures I've heard about Corvette engines, I'm not sure I'd want that to be the model they're following.

I can't speak to the Hummer specifically, but in general, GM doesn't seem to do a great job of keeping to their schedules. They did after all promise 2 new EVs by mid-2019 (0 of which actually appeared) and claim they'll have 20 by 2023.