The GMC Hummer EV: A Technological Behemoth That’s More Bummer Than Badass

When GMC resurrected the Hummer name, they didn’t just bring back a brand—they unleashed a 9,000-pound electric monstrosity that seems determined to prove that going green doesn’t mean going sensible. After spending a week with this $110,000 behemoth, I’ve come to a conclusion that might surprise its target demographic of bro-truck enthusiasts: the Hummer EV is less a revolution in electric vehicles and more a relic desperately trying to fit into a future it fundamentally misunderstands.

The Good: When Physics Takes a Coffee Break

Let’s start with the undeniable wow factor. The Hummer EV doesn’t just look big—it looks like it escaped from a Michael Bay movie about sentient military hardware. Those fender flares alone comprise roughly half the vehicle’s lateral profile, and the illuminated “HUMMER” signature across the front is visible from low Earth orbit. In a world of increasingly anonymous electric vehicles, this thing announces itself with all the subtlety of a foghorn at a library.

Then there’s the acceleration. Three seconds to 60 mph in something that weighs as much as 1.5 heavy-duty pickup trucks isn’t just impressive—it’s physics-defying. The tri-motor setup (two in the rear, one in the front) produces a claimed 1,000 horsepower and over 1,000 lb-ft of torque, though GMC’s use of “at-the-wheel” figures deserves scrutiny. When you floor it, the sensation is less like accelerating and more like being fired from a railgun. The instant torque delivery is so violent that maintaining a straight line becomes a full-body workout, requiring constant micro-adjustments to keep this electric aircraft carrier pointed where you want it to go.

The cabin technology is equally impressive in spots. The 13.4-inch infotainment display runs GM’s latest system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus integrated Google apps including Maps. The graphics, powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, are genuinely stunning—sharp, responsive, and visually rich. The split-screen functionality is particularly clever, allowing you to run navigation alongside your smartphone mirroring without sacrificing functionality.

And then there’s Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free driving system that remains the gold standard in the industry. Even with the Hummer’s Brobdingnagian footprint, Super Cruise keeps the vehicle centered with eerie precision, handling curves and straights with equal competence. The system’s new automatic lane-change feature works smoothly, making long highway drives genuinely less tedious.

The Bad: Where Corners Were Cut With a Chainsaw

But here’s where the honeymoon ends and the reality check begins. For a vehicle commanding Range Rover money, the material quality is shockingly mediocre. The dashboard and center console are constructed from rock-hard plastic that feels like it was sourced from a rental-spec Chevy Equinox parts bin. The so-called “leather” is confined almost entirely to the seats and steering wheel, while the door panels and center armrest feature a rubberized material that, while interesting to look at, feels profoundly unworthy of a six-figure price tag.

The cheapness extends to details that should be automatic at this price point. The headlight and wiper stalks lack illumination, as do the physical climate control switches integrated into the touchscreen. No auto-up windows, despite the vertical glass posing no engineering challenge that Ford couldn’t solve for the Bronco. Exposed bolts in the center console cubby. A steering wheel wrapped in rubber instead of leather or premium materials. It’s as if GMC decided that the Hummer’s aggressive styling would compensate for interior quality that wouldn’t be out of place in a $40,000 crossover.

The ergonomics are equally puzzling. The oversized shifter requires a grip that even my admittedly lanky hands struggle to achieve comfortably. The rear glass reflects the infotainment screen in the rearview mirror at night, creating a distracting glare. The passenger-side mirror is oddly zoomed-in, presumably to compensate for its extreme outboard position, but this makes precise parking maneuvers more difficult than necessary.

Ride quality, while acceptable, doesn’t match expectations for something with this mass and off-road-oriented tires. There’s a flintiness to the suspension that suggests performance-oriented tuning where comfort would be more appropriate. The tires generate significant road noise, which would be tolerable if not for the constant wind whistle through the removable roof panels and the aerodynamic turbulence created by the steep windshield rake and massive mirrors. This is not a quiet vehicle by any measure.

The Ugly: Environmental Irresponsibility in Carbon Fiber Clothing

But the most damning aspect of the Hummer EV isn’t its interior quality or ergonomics—it’s its fundamental wastefulness. This vehicle requires over 200 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity to achieve a claimed 329 miles of range. That’s roughly twice what most long-range electric vehicles need, meaning GMC is consuming twice the rare earth metals, twice the manufacturing resources, and twice the environmental impact to deliver performance that, while impressive, serves no practical purpose.

During my week with the vehicle in winter conditions, I averaged about 230 miles of real-world range, or roughly 1.1 kWh per mile. That’s about one-third the efficiency of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 tested in identical conditions. The Hummer EV achieves the dubious distinction of being an electric vehicle that’s extravagantly inefficient—a feat that requires genuine effort in the current automotive landscape.

The environmental math becomes even more troubling when you consider opportunity cost. The battery pack in one Hummer EV could instead power two Chevrolet Equinox EVs or Blazer EVs. While most automakers, including Ford with its mainstream-focused F-150 Lightning, are prioritizing affordable electric vehicles that serve actual transportation needs, GMC is building six-figure status symbols for the chronically insecure, consuming resources at a rate that undermines the fundamental purpose of electrification.

The Verdict: A Technological Dinosaur in an Electric Age

The GMC Hummer EV is proof that electrification alone won’t save us from our worst automotive impulses. It’s a vehicle that embodies everything wrong with American car culture—excessive size, gratuitous power, conspicuous consumption—while wrapping it in a thin veneer of environmental responsibility. At $110,295 including destination charges, it’s asking buyers to pay Range Rover or Mercedes EQS money for a vehicle that feels like it was designed by people who thought “premium” meant “big and loud.”

The Hummer EV isn’t the future of electric vehicles—it’s a nostalgic throwback to an era when bigger always meant better, when fuel economy was for wimps, and when environmental concerns were for other people. It’s the automotive equivalent of putting a solar panel on a Hummer H2 and calling it sustainable. The technology is impressive in isolated instances, but the overall package feels like a missed opportunity, a chance to show that electric vehicles could be both exciting and responsible, squandered in favor of brute force and marketing hype.

In an age where most automakers are working to make electric vehicles accessible, practical, and genuinely sustainable, the Hummer EV stands as a monument to excess—a reminder that we can electrify our worst habits just as easily as our best intentions. It’s not a revolution; it’s an evolution of the same mindset that got us into the climate crisis in the first place, now with a lithium-ion battery pack and a price tag that would make a Porsche salesman blush.

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