GMC HUMMER EV Levels Up in Off-road Testing on Legendary Moab Trails
In the off roading playground of Moab, Utah, the GMC HUMMER EV Pickup was put through a rigorous off-road test in the lead-up to its production debut this fall. Watch as the GMC HUMMER EV team puts the world’s first all-electric supertruck through its paces on the numerous challenging trails that Moab has to offer, showcasing its off-road capability.
The engineering team’s testing and calibration included Adaptive Air Suspension hardware, Extract Mode, Terrain Mode, One-Pedal Driving control, e4WD and torque distribution, eLockers, stability control, rear steering, CrabWalk and more. Thats a lot of driving modes.
Available Terrain Mode, part of the GMC HUMMER EV’s Drive Mode Control, will offer two braking calibrations, with a mild braking option for two-foot driving and a purpose-designed One-Pedal Driving control in low-speed off-road driving. As pioneered by General Motors for other electric vehicles, One-Pedal Driving enables the driver to accelerate and decelerate using only the accelerator pedal. With Terrain Mode, that same One-Pedal Driving control is adapted with unique calibrations for speed-limited off-road driving, helping the driver to negotiate steep grades, rock crawling and other challenging terrain without having to toggle between the accelerator and brake pedal.
“One-Pedal Driving offers a great feeling of control by optimizing the regenerative braking, friction braking and drive motor torque all through the accelerator pedal,” said Aaron Pfau, GMC HUMMER EV lead development engineer. “Drivers will quickly realize the benefits once they try it off-road.”
When the road gets tough, the upcoming available Extract Mode feature enables the Adaptive Air Suspension height to be raised approximately 6 inches in order to help the GMC HUMMER EV negotiate extreme off-road situations, such as clearing large boulders and fording deeper water.
“The GMC HUMMER EV was a blank slate that was filled out by a dedicated team of engineers who are hardcore off-road enthusiasts,” said Pfau. “Features like One-Pedal Driving, Terrain Mode and Extract Mode result in an absolute off-road beast that will take you to new places.”