General Motors is as soon as once more specializing in electric pickup trucks with the upcoming GMC Hummer electric truck, but when we glance again to the previous, GM’s electrical truck historical past dates again to a time way back and, sadly, is usually forgotten.
Remembering The Chevy S-10 Electrical Truck
it was again in 1997 when Chevrolet launched an electrical pickup truck. It was the Chevrolet S-10 Electrical and, imagine it or not, GM really bought the car (together with leasing it) to fleets. It is believed that some 60 of those electrical vans had been bought (one other 430 or so had been leased) and some nonetheless exist at present.
Like with the GM EV1, the leased S-10 electrical vans doubtless all had been despatched to the crusher, so these are gone. However just a few of the purchased examples do pop up on public sale and on the market websites from time to time.
PickupTrucks.com describes the S-10 electrical, stating:
The S10 EV was primarily a base Chevy S10 short-bed compact pickup powered by a “detuned” EV1 electrical drive system (114 horsepower, or 85 kilowatts) to assist prolong its vary. That made the S10 EV front-wheel drive and really heavy at 4,199 kilos, but it preserved a 951-pound payload beneath the 5,150-pound gross car weight score. Of that, 1,400 kilos was the 16.2-kWh lead-acid battery pack tucked between the body rails beneath the mattress.
To complement its energy-efficient heat-pump air-conditioning system under 40 levels, the S10 EV carried a diesel-fuel-fired heater to heat the battery and (secondarily) the cabin.
By way of efficiency, the S-10 electrical truck was fairly terrible:
The U.S. Division of Power financed third-party testing by an organization known as EVAmerica — now the Idaho Nationwide Laboratory’s Superior Car Testing Exercise (AVTA) – and it got here up with ranges of 38.8 miles at a continuing 60 mph, 60.4 miles at a continuing 45 mph and 43.8 miles on the EPA check cycle. Southern California Edison’s three check vans logged 35 to 43 miles of real-world vary on an area city loop. Newly developed 39-kWh nickel-metal hydride battery packs, an choice for the 1998 mannequin 12 months, doubled the truck’s usable vary, however at considerably larger price.
Its price ticket was excessive for the time too at $33,305. Evidently, the truck flopped for a number of causes and GM gave up on any additional improvement of electrical vans till only recently when it introduced the future arrival of the GMC Hummer EV.
Oh How Occasions Have Modified
General Motors has formally confirmed that together with the upcoming Hummer electric pickup truck, the Hummer model will launch an electrical SUV too. Each will go some 400 miles per charger and have as much as 1,000 horsepower and provide blistering efficiency.
The GMC Hummer EV (the identify for the truck, as of proper now) will probably be totally revealed on Might 20, with production set to begin in Fall 2021. There isn’t any phrase but on when the Hummer electrical SUV will debut, however we anticipate that to happen someday after the truck.
Each the electrical truck and SUV are anticipated to journey on the identical platform. The truck will probably be related in dimension to the present GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck. We very a lot anticipate it to resemble the Sierra with regard to exterior styling (however with some retro Hummer design parts. In the meantime, the inside is anticipated to be very rugged and geared extra in the direction of the outdoorsy, adventurous sorts, slightly than focusing extra on luxurious like that of most modern-day pickup vans.
Each the Hummer truck (it will get a 5-foot mattress, we have realized) and SUV will characteristic what GM is referring to as Ultium-powered batteries. We slightly just like the Ultium identify. GM is sparse on particulars regarding the batteries. Nonetheless, we do know that the entire GM electrical “vans” will boast an 800-volt battery system and charging at as much as 350 kW. Battery sizes will go as much as 200 kWh and vary ought to strategy 400 miles per cost. The “vans” embody any and all of GM’s future electrical autos that journey on the truck platform. This consists of the Hummer pickup truck, Hummer SUV and an upcoming Cadillac Escalade that is pure electrical.
Specs for the Hummer Electrical pickup truck embody:
- 1,000 HP
- 11,500 pound-feet of torque
- 0 to 60 in 3 seconds
We anticipate the figures to be kind of the identical for the SUV.
Now And Then
114 horsepower for the S-10 electrical in comparison with 1,000 HP for these electrical Hummers. 200 kWH battery packs for the Hummers, versus 16.2 for the S-10. 400 miles of vary now, simply 40 or so again then.
This evolvement took greater than twenty years, however EV know-how is now so superior that EVs typically outperform combustion-engined automobiles. Simply think about how superior EVs will probably be two extra many years from now.