To keep the beast alive in the Hummer, GM goes with 3000 pounds of batteries

The all-new 2022 GMC Hummer EV comes with a battery that really pulls its weight. Although it is typical for electric car batteries to account for a significant part of the vehicle’s weight, the Hummer EV takes it to a whole new level. The weight of the truck is around 9,000 pounds, whose Ultium battery itself acquires a third of the total! That points to the desire to deliver the same uncompromising ‘beast’ performance to potential owners, who cannot imagine a Hummer badge on anything that scrimps on the power department.

Back to the basics, the original Hummer H1 weighed between 500-1000 pounds lesser than the new 2022 GMC Hummer EV. H1 model weighed somewhere betwixt 7,700 and 8,500 pounds. If you thought removing all the components of a fossil fuel -powered vehicle should make the new battery-powered EV lighter, then the new Hummer EV decisively breaks that expectation. SO how does it compare with comparable models?

Is that weight range universal?

The best seller Tesla Model S battery weighs 1,200 pounds. Tesla also has another Model 3 that fits a 1,060-pound battery. Way below the 2,923 pounds Ultium battery that the Hummer EV equips.

But those Tesla models are practically ligtweights, compared to the Hummer’s overall build and promise. The 2022 GMC Hummer EV, when compared to the closer Ford F-150 Lightning, a vehicle of about the same size, the Hummer is still heavier by about 2,500 pounds.

Why such weight?

Interestingly, Hummer uses a tri-motor drivetrain, compared to the Ford Lightning model’s dual-motor setup.

The vehicle is mammoth in size and so it requires a lot of power supported by a potent battery. The movement of such mass takes a little more power than usual. Moreover, the pick-up truck boasts a 1,000 horsepower engine that can go from 0 to 60 in around 3 seconds. Just the sort of fringe feature that no one ever needs, but loves to boast about.

Battery Features

Ultium battery cells have a larger format than other types of batteries. They also adopt a pouch style – can be stacked either vertically or horizontally inside the battery pack. It offers more freedom to engineers and potentially freeing up space. Further, the battery helps the HUMMER EV earn its low center of gravity and off-road proportions. Furthermore, it also allows the manufacturer to use much less cobalt than they used in previous electric vehicles. This means the battery can be built more affordably. One good out of all that weight is that the new electric truck will go 329 miles on a single charge with 212.7 kWh of usable energy and achieve 47 MPGe combined, according to GM’s test data.