Aside from the obvious affiliation to the same automotive group, the C8 Chevrolet Corvette and the recently reborn GMC HUMMER EV have three other things in common. One is up front, namely the front trunk – aka the frunk.
The second one is right above, and it’s called the Infinity Roof with Modular Sky Panels – and they can be stored in the aforementioned frunk just like the single removable panel of the C8 Corvette Coupe. For the third one, we really need to dive deeper into the new EV pickup’s off-roading features.
While currently there’s no direct adversary for the 2022 GMC HUMMER EVEdition 1 arriving fall of 2021, General Motors is making sure their new pickup “supertruck” is future proof with a raft of innovative technologies.
We have already talked about what’s hidden inside the chassis (hint, they are called GM Ultium battery modules) for that 350+ miles of expected range, and about the technologies that will make it great on the open road as well (while cruising or trailering, among others).
Now it’s high time we discussed about the upcoming safaris a little. And by that we mean to address the off-road capabilities, which are based around (but not only on) the company’s new proprietary e4WD drive system with torque vectoring.
There’s also an all-new structure which drops the classic frame rails, and instead uses the stacked battery pack an integral structural element of the chassis – for increased twisting resistance, even with the Sky Panels removed.
The HUMMER EV’s Drive Mode Control’s Terrain Mode includes specific off-roading “one-pedal EV driving,” while the brand opted for an independent front and rear suspension system to go alongside the front e-Locker differential or rear virtual locker (simulated diff with torque vectoring for the dual-motor rear unit).
Wait, because there’s even more: 18-inch alloys with 35-inch MT tires, “underbody armor” (seven plates!), “UltraVision” (up to 18 camera views), 4 Wheel Steer (including the neat Crab Walk), or Continuous Damping Control with the Adaptive Air Suspension.
And this is how we come up to the third common trait between the HUMMER EV and the C8 ‘Vette - on the adaptive air suspension there’s either Aero Mode (lower ride height on the road) or Extract Mode.
The latter is akin to the sports car’s Front Lift system that allows it to negotiate things such as speedbumps. On the GMC, of course, it’s all about off-roading prowess – giving it an additional 6 inches for additional clearance during extreme rock-crawling sessions.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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