General Motors yesterday started producing the GMC Hummer EV SUV in Edition 1 trim at its Factory ZERO Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly where the Hummer EV Pickup is also made.
The event was announced at a business roundtable yesterday by GMC & Buick Global VP Duncan Aldred, who said that a considerable ramp-up in Hummer EV production is scheduled for the second half of 2023.
While he did not reveal planned production numbers, Aldred made an interesting comment regarding the GMC Hummer EV's massive battery pack and how it limits production. Asked about possible production delays going forward and how chip shortages might be a factor, Aldred offered a rather surprising answer, according to Motor1.
"What is more a limiting factor is the amount of battery cells that are available. We are looking very carefully at which product lines do we put those in and as you can image, Hummer EV is a pretty heavy user of battery cells when you compare it to really any other EV in the GM portfolio. You almost get to a point where one Hummer could be two of something else within the GM EV stable of products."
Basically, Aldred acknowledged that the Hummer EV's battery needs are equivalent to those of two normal electric vehicles in GM's growing electric portfolio. In the current context where the industry experiences battery cell availability problems, the Hummer EV's giant battery pack penalizes the vehicle and the customers awaiting delivery.
In range-topping Edition 1 guise, the GMC Hummer EV features a 212-kWh pack (usable), a capacity that's over three times the size of the Chevrolet Bolt EV's battery, and double the size of the battery packs in the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Blazer EV.
With two Hummer EV models now in production, it's not clear how GM will manage to satisfy GMC's battery cell requirements, especially since the Sierra EV Denali is also entering production this year with a 200-kWh battery pack.
GMC previously said it had over 90,000 reservations for both the GMC Hummer EV SUV and Pickup, with Duncan Aldred noting that 50-60 percent of those are for the pickup truck.
