Yahoo Autos Hummer's "Watts to Freedom" Launch Control Gives You 0-60 in 3 Seconds Flat
Of all the things Hummer has been accused of over the years, subtlety has never once been among them. The Hummer EV continues in that proud tradition, in ways that no one could have predicted—not even the guy who dipped his entire H2 in chrome. We submit for your consideration the new electric pickup’s "Watts to Freedom" (WTF) mode.
That would be the name of the Hummer EV’s launch-control mode. If this were just your average six-figure off-road electric pickup truck, maybe a conventional launch-control program would suffice. But, no. When activated, the Hummer pre-conditions its massive battery pack while simultaneously lowering its four-corner air suspension by two inches. Then the 14-speaker Bose sound system plays what we are told will be "appropriate sounds" to get you excited.
There’s more. The haptic-feedback driver’s seat begins to vibrate, and the driver is treated to a graphics sequence on the big screen—some variety of a themed countdown, we're led to believe.
From there, the driver must firmly press the brake and accelerator pedals, then at the appropriate moment, release the brake, allowing the massive battery pack (estimated at about 200 kWh) to dump a full load of electrons into the three electric motors (one front, two rear). Together, the three motors generate up to 1100 pound-feet of torque (a final number hasn’t been determined). And even with massive 305/70R-18 Goodyear Wrangler A/T tires and no small amount of mass, the Hummer EV will bully its way to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds, GMC claims.
If all of this all sounds weirdly familiar, that’s not an accident. "We wanted it to be like at an amusement park ride right before you take off. They play the sounds and work the lights to get the riders more excited," said Hummer EV chief engineer Al Oppenheiser. "That’s what we were going for." And yes, this is the same Mr. Oppenheiser who served as chief engineer for the last two generations of Chevrolet Camaro.
All a bit too much theater for you? No worries, shrinking violet, the Hummer EV will also offer an Adrenaline mode, delivering 4.0-second 0-60 runs without all the theatrics. But you have to ask yourself: Why hate freedom?
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