GM to develop Hummer EV-based military vehicle

GM has announced that it will develop a prototype of a military vehicle based on the GMC Hummer EV in 2022. It is literally an electric light reconnaissance vehicle (eLRV) type.

This reconnaissance vehicle is based on the Hummer EV and uses a military-specific vehicle such as a chassis frame, an attached motor and a dedicated Ultium battery. U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Higgs recently visited GM to discuss future EV development plans, in particular GM’s defense EV research and development. GM said the U.S. Army was looking forward to its investment and said the eLRV would be rebuilt to meet its original goals.

However, this prototype is only the first step that GM has said it will develop, and the US military has not yet decided to introduce the vehicle. The U.S. Army is investigating the possibility of such a vehicle, and military adoption is expected in the mid-2020s.

The most fundamental question in the development of military electric vehicles is how to charge them. It is impossible to expect a charging station on the battlefield, which requires a grid-independent, portable charging system. Of course, the silence without engine noise is good for reconnaissance, but it’s all in its infancy to deal with replaceable batteries or sudden repairs.

Of course, in terms of maintenance, an electric vehicle that is simpler and has fewer parts than an engine has greater advantages, and the greater the number of vehicles, the more carbon dioxide emissions will increase. How to shorten the charging time, which is still the biggest drawback, seems to be the most important issue for official adoption in the military. Related information can be found here.