The GMC Hummer EV takes on the world’s toughest towing test (on 37s)!
You may be thinking: “Wait, didn’t you guys already Ike the GMC Hummer EV?”. Indeed, we have, but there’s a twist this time around: We’re rolling on massive 37-inch all-terrain tires. In this test, Andre loaded up the truck to its maximum 7,500-pound towing weight by using TFL’s own Jeep Wrangler JK as ballast. Combined with the Aluma aluminum trailer, we’re right on pushing on the limit of what GM rated this massive EV truck to tow.
While the Jeep is decently heavy, it also packs a lower aerodynamic profile than the ATC toy hauler we used before. We’re interested to see what sort of effect towing a different kind of load with the Hummer EV’s larger tires will have on the truck’s performance both downhill and on the way back up.
Despite its relative lack of towing capacity, the new GMC Hummer EV did prove itself a stable, relaxing tow rig on the way down toward Silverthorne, Colorado from the Eisenhower Tunnel. Of course, you may well expect that sort of performance, since the truck weighs in at a mighty 9,400 pounds. That’s significantly heavier than the load the truck’s actually towing, so it’s unlikely you’re going to deal with a case of the tail wagging the dog while rolling down the road.
At the end of the downhill journey, the new Hummer EV ended up recuperating about 9 kW of energy in 8 miles, coming out to about 4% of the truck’s total battery capacity (around 212-kWh).
On the way back up, the truck managed 0-60 in under 6 seconds…while towing 7,500 pounds.
That’s remarkably quick, though that’s a hallmark of the mammoth torque you get from the Hummer EV Edition 1’s three electric motors. With 1,000 horsepower on tap, it’s certainly quick Whatever the situation.
Unfortunately, the guys ran into a horrific traffic jam about 5-1/2 minutes into the uphill run. That rendered the timed portion of this Ike Gauntlet inadmissible, but at least we have historic data to compare. On that basis, the bigger tires don’t appear to have made a noticeable difference to its performance, meaning we would most likely get a perfect 8-minute run in better traffic conditions.
But what about range?
As you’d expect, the Hummer chewed up a decent amount of energy going up the hill. On the long drive out of the mountains back to Boulder, though, Andre and Kase recuperated about 13 miles-worth of energy on the descent, and the truck still had plenty of range to get back to TFL HQ.
Overall, Andre and Kase rated the latest GMC Hummer EV performance on the Ike Gauntlet at 4.3 out of 5 stars. That’s a pretty remarkable showing, if you don’t need more than a 7,500-pound towing capacity. If you do need more — say 10,000 pounds — then you will have to move toward the Ford F-150 Lightning if you want to go electric (at least for now).
Check out the full Ike Gauntlet run in the video below and stay tuned for more tests coming soon!
