General motors is set to announce an all-electric pickup truck expected to carry the branding of the company’s infamous gas-guzzling Hummer. As per the latest reports, this new vehicle will be teased during a Super Bowl commercial featuring LeBron James. The all-electric Hummer truck is going to hit the market as from 2020 under the company’s GMC brand. However, General Motors does not plan to revive the Hummer as a complete brand of its own, as it was once. General Motors did away with the Hummer in 2010 after a financial crisis, rising fuel cost and the automaker’s government bailout.
Rumors have been going round for months now regarding the revival of the Hummer nameplate, likely for an electric vehicle. The rumors seem to suggest that General Motors is involved in a multibillion-dollar push to release 20 new electric vehicles across all the global markets by 2023. They are apparently willing to take a big chance for them to attain this goal. Initially, General Motors planned to make an electric pickup truck with Rivian but the deal fell off after requesting exclusive rights to the Michigan-based EV startup’s tech. Rivian then went on to strike a nonexclusive deal with Ford.
General Motors no longer has a factory in Lordstown, Ohio after selling it to Lordstown Motors, an electric truck startup. The company is planning to build a $2.3 billion factory in town as a close initiative with LG’s battery division. General Motors’ revival of the Hummer comes at a time when SUV and pickup truck sales is skyrocketing in the United States. This is fueled by the reasonable gas prices and an increase in demand of things such as a higher seating position and a sense of security. Unfortunately, the increase in demand has had negative effects including a major jump in global CO2 emissions and rise in pedestrian deaths. Luckily, the all-electric Hummer truck is expected to mitigate the emissions of CO2. As for the dramatic rise in pedestrian deaths, it is up to road users to exercise caution when driving and walking.
