I've been saying for years that electric vehicles won't go mainstream in the US until there are electric pickup trucks. Here in the US, we love our pickup trucks. So much so that pickup trucks are typically the number 1, 2, and 3 selling vehicles annually.
Well, electric pickups arrived in 2022 and there are already three of them on the market, soon to be joined by at least two or three more. I personally own two of the three currently available, a Rivian R1T and a Ford F-150 Lightning.
While I don't own the third electric truck available, the GMC Hummer EV, I have driven three of them already, and have racked up more than 2,000 miles behind the wheel of the loaners. Therefore, I feel like I have enough experience in a Hummer EV to compare it to the other electric trucks that are my daily drivers.
So I came up with thirteen categories to compare the trucks and produced the video embedded above. Yes, I could have picked a few more categories, like styling and infotainment system, but I tried not to include too many features that the results would be based purely on personal preference.
I compared the price, ride & comfort, off-road capabilities, power and handling, driving range, charging bed and tailgate, driver's assist, glass roofs, frunks, payload & towing, audio systems, and available onboard power.
At the end of the video (at 26:10 for those that don't want to watch the entire comparison), I list the winner in each category and total up the results.
When it came to charging, I couldn't declare a winner. That's because I believe the Hummer EV needs to improve its current software before I can really judge it. I've DC fast-charged two different Hummers five times now and I haven't been able to get a consistent charging curve mapped out.
That's because the vehicle often shuts off during the charging session or de-rates all the way down to 3 kW and I have to unplug it and start a new session to get it to accept more power.
On paper, it should be the best at DC fast charging because it can accept more than 350 kW, but until I can document the full charging curve, I can't say that's true. I do know that the Hummer EV isn't a good charging EV on level 2, though. The current Hummer EV can only accept 48-amps (11.5 kW), the same as the Rivian R1T.
But the Hummer EV's battery is enormous and has a usable capacity of 212 kWh, and because it's so heavy it's not an efficient EV. Therefore, on level 2 home charging, it can only replenish about 15 miles of range per hour of charging. Most Hummer EV owners will be charging at home 90%+ of the time, so that's an important factor to consider when comparing the vehicles.
The Rivian R1T can add back about 20 to 25 miles of range per hour and the Lightning can add up to 40 miles per hour on level 2 home charging thanks to its 80-amp onboard charger. GM is working on an 80-amp onboard charger for future Hummer EVs, but it's not currently available.
So check out the video and let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Agree? Disagree? Either way, I'd like to hear what you think.
Hopefully, I can get my hands on a Silverado EV in 2023 and update the comparison. On paper, it looks like the Silverado should score very favorably.
