Fake news: Why Hummer EV torque claim of 15,600Nm is more like 1356Nm

By Dean Mellor 3 Min Read

How can the Hummer EV torque claim be true? GMC claims an astonishing 11,500lb-ft (15,600Nm) of torque for its upcoming EV pick-up, but this is really closer to 1000lb-ft (1356Nm). Here’s why…

The Hummer EV torque claim of 11,500lb-ft (15,600Nm) sounds too good to be true, right? The 2022 GMC Hummer EV will no doubt be a technological tour de force, and with three electric motors it’s claimed to make 1000hp (750kW) and 11,500lb-ft (15,600Nm) of torque – enough, apparently, to propel the hefty Hummer from 0-100km/h in around three seconds – but 15,600Nm? Really?!

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Yep, you read that right. A mind-boggling 15,600Nm. But here’s the catch: with GMC’s Hummer EV torque claim, that’s not 15,600Nm measured at the motors, as this video from Engineering Explained so eloquently… explains. That’s 15,600Nm measured at the wheels, after torque has been multiplied by the Hummer EV’s gear ratios.

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If you only want to know about the bit explaining how GMC calculated the Hummer EV’s torque, head to the 8 minute and 45 second part of the video, but if you want to check out all the stuff that makes the upcoming Hummer EV more than just interesting, you really should find 20 minutes or so, grab a cuppa and sit back and enjoy the whole thing. Trust me, there’s some fascinating technology built into this vehicle.

Anyways, in the video, Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained goes on to explain how much torque the Hummer EV actually makes at the motors, which provides a more realistic comparison with ICE-powered (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles on the market, as that is how torque is usually measured and quoted.

Hummer Ev Boot
All that torque… and no engine under the bonnet!

So, what does the Hummer EV actually make in the torque department, measured at the motors? Armed with the gear ratios (provided to him by GMC) Fenske calculates that it makes around 1000lb-ft (1356Nm). Now sure, that might not sound as impressive as 15,600Nm, but there’s no denying 1356Nm is still a helluva lot of stump-pulling torque. How much torque? Well, it’s more than double what a 4.5L TDV8 200 Series LandCruiser can muster (650Nm), for starters, and it’s way more than the 500Nm made by a bi-turbo-diesel Ford Ranger or a turbo-diesel HiLux. Strewth, it’s even more than the 1084Nm made by the 6.7L Cummins turbo-diesel in a RAM 2500!

For the record, GMC claims a 560km range for the Hummer EV… and no, there aren’t any fast-charging stations in the Simpson Desert or up The Cape… yet.


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