Here’s why the US Army just bought an electric GMC Hummer

Hummer has re-enlisted in the U.S. Army.

The military branch has purchased a GMC Hummer EV pickup for evaluation.

An Army spokeswoman could not confirm exactly what the plans for it are, but GM is expected to deliver the electric truck by the end of August.

The vehicle will be a top of the line Hummer EV Edition 1, which has a list price of $112,595. The exact amount paid by the Army was not announced.

The Edition 1 is equipped with every feature offered on the Hummer EV, including a 1,000 horsepower tri-motor drivetrain and an air suspension system with an “Extract” mode that can raise the vehicle by six inches if it gets stuck.

It also has a four-wheel steering system that can turn the rear wheels opposite the front wheels to improve the full-size truck’s maneuverability, or both in the same direction to allow it to drive diagonally in what GMC calls “CrabWalk” mode.

The Hummer brand was originally spawned by the commercialization of the military High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, which was nicknamed the Humvee after entering service in 1984.

The U.S. military is in the process of replacing the aging Humvee fleet with a variety of vehicles, including a proposed Joint Light Tactical Vehicle that GM Defense is competing for.

GM Defense in 2020 began supplying the Army with an Infantry Squad Vehicle based off of the high-performance Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup. 

The open-body vehicle is designed for rapid deployment with accommodations for up to nine passengers and their gear and can fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter or slung from the bottom of a smaller UH-60 Blackhawk.

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GM Defense was contracted to supply 649 of the vehicles and also built one prototype that swapped its 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine for an electric powertrain.