The GMC Hummer EV SUV Is an Electric Earth Rover

Fifty-five years after the first Moon landing, General Motors remains very proud of its role in the Apollo Program.The automaker worked with Boeing to design the Lunar Roving Vehicle, which took its first lunar road trip on July 31, 1971, during the Apollo 15 mission. Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 each brought one along and they’re all still up there waiting for a jump start.GM is currently collaborating with Lockheed Martin on a range of new rovers for NASA and other governments to use on the Moon, but there’s an earthbound electric vehicle you can buy that pays tribute to its extraterrestrial efforts.Courtesy GMCThe GMC Hummer EV, that was first launched as a pickup in 2021, features topographical maps of the Moon etched into its floor mats and speaker grilles, while animations on its digital displays place the electric truck on the lunar surface. The modern cabin and softer exterior design are meant to evoke space travel rather than the Hummer’s military heritage.It was all meant to inspire the team tasked with driving GM into the electric future. Things have slowed down on that front, but GM continues to keep rolling out new models and the Hummer EV SUV that is now available has even more of a moon buggy look to it than the pickup. It trades the open bed for an enclosed cargo compartment that may not be airtight but is climate-controlled.The full-size SUV probably has more tech and computing power than everything NASA built before the Space Shuttle combined. It comes standard as the Hummer EV SUV 2x with a dual motor all-wheel-drive system rated at 570 hp, while the Hummer EV SUV 3x that I tested has three motors with a combined 830 hp and a massive 170-kilowatt-hour battery pack.Courtesy GMCPricing starts at $98,845 for the 2x and $106,945 for the 3x, putting it in league with the Tesla Cybertruck and top versions of the Rivian R1S.It’s more than just a powerhouse, though, and is equipped with a fully independent air suspension system that can raise the vehicle six inches for maximum clearance at low speeds. It also has a four-wheel-steering system that allows it to move in mysterious ways.The rear wheels can be steered in the opposite direction from the front wheels to make turns as tight as a compact SUV’s, or in sync with them up to ten degrees to drive the vehicle diagonally. GMC calls this CrabWalk Mode and its limited range relegates it mostly to being a party trick, but it did help me sidle the vehicle closer to the curb after one poor parallel parking job.Courtesy GMCAll of this gear plus the battery pack adds up to a vehicle that weighs more than 8,500 pounds, which is about 3,000 pounds more than a similarly sized V8-powered GMC Yukon SUV. From the driver’s seat, you’d never know it. The abundant power and torque provided by the electric motors have no trouble moving it around, even through the sand pit I took it to, which is the closest I’ll ever get to a crater filled with regolith.There’s a setting that unleashes all of the power to its fullest potential known as Watts To Freedom, which is a family-friendly take on WTF. It lowers the suspension and reprograms the traction management system for maximum acceleration. You hold down the brake pedal, press the throttle then lift off the brake for a launch that makes you feel like you are about to lift off for space. Using it, the Hummer EV SUV can sprint to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, which leaves most sports cars in the dust (and, yes, it works on dirt).Something this big and heavy shouldn’t be able to move this quickly, but the brakes and grip from its 35-inch tires do a remarkable job of slowing it down. It’s almost as if you’re driving in microgravity.Courtesy GMCA 360-degree camera system includes views from under the vehicle to help avoid obstacles off-road, and GM’s Super Cruise highway driving system is ready to make things easier for you on the pavement. It’s an adaptive cruise control system that allows for hands-free and foot-free driving on select highways. Perhaps it’s no surprise that GM’s new lunar vehicles are being developed with fully autonomous capability in mind.Take it easy on the electrons and the Hummer EV SUV 3x can cover up to 314 miles between charges. It has an 800-volt electrical architecture and can be recharged at a 300-kilowatt rate, which outpaces most of today’s fast charging stations. Find one that can keep up and the battery can pick up 100 miles of range in 14 minutes, according to GMC. The range rating the vehicle displays is very accurate and never led me astray. This gave me the confidence to run the battery down to five percent on one long trip, but I was still sweating it out.Courtesy GMCThat may be because it was a hot day and I had the four removable roof panels off, which transformed it from a moon buggy into a beach buggy. The tailgate window even opens so you can slide a surfboard in it.The Kennedy Space Center is on the coast, after all.

The GMC Hummer EV SUV Is an Electric Earth Rover

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