Test drive: 2021 GMC Yukon Diesel
The 2021 GMC Yukon Diesel combines the traction of a V8 with a crossover fuel consumption, but is already at the end of the road, says Gary Gastelu, editor of Fox News.
The new GMC HUMMER EV pickup and SUV are a return to HUMMER H2s from a decade ago, but their inspiration goes far beyond that.
The HUMMER EV’s digital display animations contain footage in space.
(GMC)
Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser told Fox News Autos that when his team had the task on April 1, 2019 of designing and designing an electric truck business that would be in production within two and a half years, about half the time usually assigned, it drew inspiration from the Apollo program’s race to the moon.
“We really felt this bond with what the NASA team had to go through to develop something in such a short period of time,” Oppenheiser said.
General Motors was directly involved in the Apollo program and, together with Boeing, developed the Lunar Roving Vehicle, which would become the first and only vehicle ever driven by a human on an out-of-body body.
EXCLUSIVE: WHAT IT IS TO RIDE ON THE MOON
The new HUMMERS are of course just like the three robbers that stay on the lunar surface and would be the ultimate ‘barn find’ if recycled, but slightly more capable.
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While the Rover’s four electric motors each have a quarter horsepower rating, and the silver-zinc battery pack is good for an estimated distance of 57 kilometers in the low-gravity environment, the HUMMER’s Ultium electric platform can handle up to 1000 hp and 350 deliver miles drive on earth.
To tie the two together, the HUMMER design team moved away from the military tires of previous models and used a lunar theme on the new trucks that include topographic maps of the Sea of Tranquility on the cargo floor, speakers and other spots, along with re-creations of Neil Armstrong’s footprint in the regolith.
The digital instrument cluster also displays a white moon pattern paper during the day.
But can the new HUMMERS actually work on the Moon?
“That’s a good question, I would love to try it. Maybe Mars,” Oppenheiser said.