Humvee EV: GM developing a battery-powered military Hummer

The Hummer is returning to its roots, with General Motors announcing it will create a prototype of the model for military use.

The president of GM’s defence arm, Steve duMont, told CNBC the company had plans to create an electric Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (eLRV) based on the new Hummer EV for evaluation by the US Army.

“The Army’s very excited about the fact that we’re investing in this,” duMont told CNBC.

“Our Hummer EV is what we’re going to base that vehicle on.”

The move is a role reversal for the Hummer, as the first-generation Hummer H1 was a civilian version of a US military vehicle: the Humvee.

The 2022 GMC Hummer EV offers as much as 746kW and 2033Nm from its 'Ultium' battery pack, allowing for a driving range of up to 563 kilometres.

A militarised version will likely use less powerful electric motors and smaller batteries to reduce weight. The rendering (top) by @wb.artist20 provides a glimpse at what an armoured Humvee EV could look like.

4

"Electric vehicles are quiet. They have a low heat signature and incredible torque, and because they tend to be low maintenance with fewer moving parts, they have the potential to reduce logistics requirements,” US Deputy Defence Secretary Kathleen Hick said on Monday, according to Military.com.

The move to electric vehicles is part of US President Joe Biden’s overarching climate agenda, The Pentagon said earlier this week.

The Verge notes a 2019 study from Brown University which calculated the US military was the largest institutional polluter in the world, accounting for more greenhouse gas emissions than 140 countries.