Ok, let’s get real about the future of motoring. It is becoming more and more clear that the old internal combustion engine is giving way to alternative forms. Whether that is hydrogen fuel cells (unlikely for anyone outside the halls of Toyota or Hyundai to believe at this point), or pure electrification, or some crazy third thing no one has dreamt of yet, we are beginning to see what is truly possible when you think outside what has been done for over a century know.
I’ve recently watched a YouTube editorial by Marques Brownlee, or as you may know him MKBHD, on whether or not we have reached “peak smartphone”.
His answer being “yes, but no.” Yes we are no longer seeing the exponential growth we once had and all makes/models tend to blur together for anyone outside of certain fandoms. But no, there are still crazy advancements happening, Galaxy Fold anyone?
He then re-framed the question to something our audience would get more engaged in, “have we reached peak car?”
The question is fair. Most cars have all the same ingredients, and in today’s crossover frenzy what is the #1 complaint/comment you see on any car maker's post about their BRAND NEW crossover?
“It looks just like.....”
As I lay here scrolling through my social media feeds, one thing is clear...the future WILL be quite different and I do NOT believe we have reached peak “car”
As of the writing of this, we only have the pre-announcement media buzz surrounding something which seems completely absurd by the numbers. I mean I had to quadruple check that I had even read it right...
“11,500 pound-feet of torque will never sound the same. All-Electric. Zero emissions. Zero limits. The First Ever GMC HUMMER EV.”
eleven THOUSAND and five hundred pound feet of torque. Didn’t we just lose our minds when the big three started pushing past 1,000 pound-feet in their heavy duty trucks this past year?
Since we are talking rebirth of the Hummer, what aftermarket 22” or 36” rim could keep from buckling under all that twist? outlandish number is wheel torque which is multiplied in electric motor applications, which we do not have the time to get into here. Needless to say, even when we look apples to apples assuming this 11,500 is at the wheels, it would still mean that we are over 1,000 pound-feet at the motors, how are they going to apply it (and the 1,000hp) to the road? Since we are talking rebirth of the Hummer, what aftermarket 22” or 36” rim could keep from buckling under all that twist?
Depending on how The General and the parent brand of GMC handle this, and the overall quality of the project, we could all be saying “Cybertruck who?” by the end of the big game. We all know Tesla’s biggest Achilles heel has been their build quality and overall repairability of their vehicles. This is because they are a tech company who started making cars. But what happens when a century old car company starts beating a tech company at their own game?
We know GM has had their ups and downs over their lifetime, but they DO know how to make cars, first and foremost.
All I can say at this point, with only a teaser photo and some insane numbers to back it up, is I want to know more! If this is where the future is headed, sign me up! I honestly never thought I’d think that about anything not internal combustion....oh well.
I can’t wait to see this new GMC really.... hum
-Cory