Is the U.S. Army looking to get away from fossil fuels for its land vehicles? A statement from GM Defense (via The Drive) revealed that it will provide a Hummer EV to meet the Army's request for "a light to heavy duty battery electric vehicle to support reduced reliance on fossil fuels both in the operational and garrison environments."
As an added bonus, should GM land a contract, it could make for an excellent marketing tool for the civilian version of the Hummer EV. After all, its use as a military vehicle is why the original Hummer was so popular.
In it's current stock form the Hummer EV can have up to 1,000 horsepower, 11,600 lb-ft of torque, 329 miles of range and has fast charging that will allow it to get 100 miles of range in 12 minutes. It is already designed to withstand off-road use but we could see GM adding additional armor protection for the battery and increasing the ground clearance beyond the 15.9 inches found on the road-going model. We noted in our buyer's guide that we were particularly impressed with the EVs massive payload and towing capacity. A feature that the U.S. Army is no doubt interested in as well.
The Hummer EV is just one vehicle built on GM's "Ultium" battery platform. This demonstration could lead to contracts for military versions of other upcoming GM electric vehicles potentially utilizing the Ultium tech. Lockheed Martin's 2025 Project Artemis lunar rover concept design will also use Ultium batteries.
The biggest challenge would be charging the EVs in the field. That could be done with traditional diesel generators but solar powered chargers could be a viable option as well. We wouldn't be surprised if GM Defense and the military are already working on a tactical charging solution.
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