GMC Hummer EV Doesn't Stand A Chance Against The Tesla Cybertruck

General Motors has officially launched the GMC Hummer EV. This is expected to be the Detroit's enormous answer to the Tesla Cybertruck. But starting at twice the price of the base Cybertuck, does the Hummer EV also deliver twice the value?

The Hummer EV comes in 4 trims: Edition 1, EV3X, EV2X, and EV2. The first two have 3 electric motors and are expected to come to the market in the fall of 2021 and 2022 respectively. These are the top of the line models and start at $112,595 and $99,995. However, unlike the EV3X, the Edition 1 is a limited production run vehicle and it’s already out of stock.

The EV2X and EV2 both have 2 motors and start at $79,995 and $89,995 respectively. The two versions will come to the market in 2023 and 2024. So let’s compare the top of the line Hammer EV Edition 1 and plaid Cybertruck.

Hummer EV Cost vs Plaid Cybertuck
The plaid Tesla Cybertruck will start at $69,900 when it comes to the market in late 2021. This makes it more than $42,000 cheaper than the Edition 1 Hummer EV. And with their base models, the Cybertruck starts at $39,900 which is half the price of the EV2 version of the Hummer.

Off-Roading and Special Features
The hummer EV has several exciting tricks and features. One such example is the car’s adaptive air suspension. Based on the need of the driver, the truck can change the ground clearance from 8 inches to 10 inches and as high as 16 inches. Other than adaptive air suspension, the Hummer EV also has torque vectoring, Adrenaline Mode, 4-wheel steering (crab walk).

The Cybertruck on the other hand is made of 30X cold-rolled stainless steel which is bulletproof. It also features Tesla ultra-strong armored this glass and polymer-layered composite can absorb and redirect impact force for improved performance and damage tolerance. On top of this, Cybertruck also has adaptive air suspension, an external lockable vault, and outlets for power tools.

Hummer EV Range Vs Plaid Cybertruck
The Edition 1 and EV3X versions of the Hummer EV have 350 miles estimated EPA range. This is from 200kwh plus sized battery. The Hummer EV uses Nickel Cobalt Manganese Aluminium cathode and graphite anode batteries. We don’t know the size of the Cybertruck battery but it will be using Tesla’s highest energy Nickel Cathode batteries with silicon anode.

The Cybertruck’s batteries already have 54% more energy density than the batteries Tesla uses in its cars now. And the batteries Tesla already uses in its production vehicles have better energy density than GM’s batteries. This most likely means the Cybertruck will probably have a smaller battery than the Hummer EV and will still be able to go an extra 150 miles.

Cybertruck vs Hummer EV Power and Performance
According to GM, the Hummer EV can go 0 to 60 mph in approximately 3 seconds in the “watts to freedom” mode. The top of the line Edition 1 variant will have over 1000 horsepower and 11,5000 lb-ft of torque.

The Tesla Cybertruck can go 0 to 60 in under 2.9 seconds and the tri-motor variant also has a towing capacity of over 14,000 lb. This performance specs are somewhat similar, but there is a chance Tesla might surprise us with improved numbers when the truck finally comes to market.

Tesla Cybertruck Charging vs Hummer EV charging

On the unveiling, GMC claims to have the world’s fastest charging vehicle. At 350kw peak charging and the ability to add 100 miles range in 10 minutes, it’s certainly faster than anything currently in production. The company plans to use two 400 volt packs connected to provide an 800-volt architecture.

Still, this won’t be enough to beat Tesla’s supercharger network which is unrivaled in its reach and ease of use. Currently, it has over 1,900 stations on 4 continents, and over 17,000 stalls and new stations are being added every day. Furthermore, there is also a real possibility Tesla might announce faster V4 charging with the plaid powertrain, beating Hummer EV’s numbers in both charging speed and convenience.

Autonomy Features of Hummer EV and The Cybertruck

The Hummer EV is going to come with advanced driver-assist features with 18 cameras and other sensors including radar, ultrasonic sensors. This is expected to enable partial autonomy features including automatic lane change in 200,000 miles of pre-mapped highway. However, this will be late on arrival with the limited release of Tesla’s full self-driving feature already in process.

Elon Musk says to expect the limited release of full self-driving features in the next few weeks to be a “quantum leap” with a fundamental architectural rewrite of the autopilot software. Elon Musk also claims he is able to drive from home to work with almost no intervention in the latest alpha build of the autopilot software, making autonomy most likely a clear advantage for Tesla.

Conclusion

Overall, both seem to be really exciting and somewhat comparable trucks with a slight performance and technology edge to the Cybertruck. However, this is not taking price into account. With Hummer EV priced twice as much as the Cybertruck, GM doesn’t stand a chance against its stainless steel rival.

Having said that, we are still happy the Hummer EV exists and should be a fun and rugged addition to the electric market.

For more information check out: Tesla Starts Shipping Made In China Model 3s To Europe. Also, see Fire Regulations Might Force The Boring Company’s Las Vegas Loop To Quarter Capacity.

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at
@TinsaeAregay
for daily Tesla news.