While the GMC Hummer EV may not be the most logical or sensible electric pickup purchase, since it’s seen as more of an oversized toy as opposed to a vehicle that you can get work done in, but it’s still remarkably capable. Between its massive weight and power, GMC rates it as being able to tow up to 7,500 pounds.
That’s less than the smaller Ford F-150 Lightning rated to tow up to 10,000 pounds and the even smaller Rivian R1T that can tow up to 11,000 pounds. And the fact that the Hummer EV is larger and more powerful yet can’t tow as much does speak about who it was designed for and the thinking behind it - this is more of a fun vehicle, as opposed to something utilitarian that could be used as a work truck.
TFLoffroad decided to put the new electric Hummer’s towing capability to the test by having it pick up a Polaris side by side buggy and taking it to a different location. The entire trip is around 130 miles, which would be no problem for the GMC with its 329 miles of EPA-rated range, but given the fact that it has to tow an additional 5,000 pounds behind it, results are unpredictable.
Towing in an electric pickup seems to be a very hot topic these days, undeniably because there are now models available on the market that have very good tow ratings on paper, yet when you try to use them to do actual towing, it has such a big impact on range that for some their use doesn’t make sense. Many towing tests performed in EVs recently have had quite negative results, primarily when it comes to the range drop they incur when towing.
The truck used in the video is the same one that left Roman Mica stranded on a busy road when the vehicle’s transmission would not come out of its Park position. They eventually managed to hard-restart the Hummer by disconnecting its 12-volt battery, then a GMC dealer gave it a software update and a clean bill of health.
