GM electric Hummer possible

Arnold Schwarzenegger, former California governor and actor of ‘Terminator’ series fame, worked with Kreisel Electric in Austria to pioneer an electric Hummer.

Now General Motors (GM) is considering similar plans for the Hummer, among vehicles it’s likely to include in a fleet of electrified SUVs and utes.

An early EV advocate, Schwarzenegger first got an electric G-Wagon from Kreisel in January 2017, followed by the e-Hummer’s unveiling in September that year, later dubbed the H1.

The Hummer is renowned as a polluting gas guzzler, a standard one consuming about 24 litres of fuel every 100km and producing 470g of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

The zero emission H1 has a high performance battery pack of 100kWh capacity and two electric motors front and back producing 360kW and 300km range, reaching up to 120km/h.

The electric Hummer is just an idea GM is considering, Bloomberg reports.

Talk about it comes as GM is looking to transform itself from a conventional, gas-powered-vehicle maker into what its chief executive officer Mary Barra calls an “all-electric future”.

When asked about it, GM president Mark Reuss was unconvinced. “I love Hummer,” Reuss said at a press conference on June 12, Bloomberg says. “I’m not sure. We’re looking at everything.”

GM is meanwhile working on two major battery electric vehicle (BEV) projects – the first BEV3 one to produced passenger cars, crossover SUVs and other small and mid-sized models as part of its promise to put 20 EVs out globally by 2023.

The other project, which may include the Hummer, is to make electric utes and other full-size vehicles with off-road capability.

GM kept Hummer after its 2009 bankruptcy but halted sales in 2010.

GM bought the brand in 1998, six years after AM General debuted it as a civilian version of the armoured Humvee military vehicle famous for its role in the Gulf War, and started sales with the H2 in 2002, following up with the mid-sized H3 SUV and H3T ute, Bloomberg reports.

Earlier this year, GM unsuccessfully negotiated to form a joint venture with Rivian Automotive, Ford later investing US$500 million in Rivian to build an electric ute.

Jaguar Land Rover will sell a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Range Rover this year and will work with BMW AG on electric drive.

Meanwhile, Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk says he’s aiming to get an electric ute out this year too.