GMC teases Hummer EV SUV overlanding concept with solar roof
GMC announced Thursday that it’s working with EarthCruiser Overland Vehicles to create a GMC Hummer EV overloading concept due by late summer 2023 and previewing a production version.
The concept will be the first product of a partnership that the companies say will result in the development of “top-tier, zero-compromise adventure vehicles” leveraging EarthCruiser’s engineering tech, according to the companies.
Overlanding is the combination of off-road adventure, off-the-grid vehicle camping along the way, and a do-it-yourself ethos. In recent years it’s evolved to something closer to a market segment and more gear-focused.
2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV
The concept is based on the GMC Hummer EV SUV, and while a dark and obscured but sharp teaser shot doesn’t show much quite yet, it does make clear that the roof is covered with solar cells. With that, don’t be surprised if the overloading concept takes the Hummer EV’s vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) charging capability to the next level—perhaps with the ability to specify which portion of the battery pack’s capacity goes to driving and which portion goes toward powering the rest of the lifestyle.
If such a concept moves ahead to production, GMC might be at the leading edge of offering such uplifted trucks essentially as factory builds.
2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV
Ford has welcomed all kinds of uplifts with its E-Transit electric vans, but for now its 68-kwh battery capacity and lack of four-wheel-drive are the limiting factor for any overloading uplift. The new generation of Mercedes E-Sprinter vans arriving this year have a large battery pack but are for now only offered with rear-wheel drive. Rivian has teased overloading potential in various ways and it’s close to the lifestyle that the brand pitches with its vehicles, but so far it hasn’t delivered a specialized model for such uses.
The Hummer EV weighs more than 9,000 pounds in pickup truck form and nearly as much as an SUV, so it will by no means tread lightly. But for those set on such a large vehicle as the basis for an overloading rig, versus a diesel, for instance, it may be the green choice after all.
2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV testing in Moab
GMC points to more than a century of professional-grade trucks and sees it as part of the brand’s vision of the future. “EarthCruiser products have proven their performance in environments around the world and we’re excited to join them on this next chapter of adventure and exploration.,” said GM executive engineer Josh Tavel in a company release on the project.
The GM truck brand doesn’t yet say how the new version might be available, but it mentions its own AT4 off-road sub-brand. Between the Hummer EV pickup truck (SUT), the Hummer EV SUV, and the upcoming Sierra EV Denali electric pickup, it will soon have three distinct fully electric trucks in the lineup—so expect this overloading concept to be one of many more lifestyle extensions yet to come.