A recent test of the GMC Hummer EV revealed that charging the vehicle’s large battery might cost up to, or even more than $100. The test was carried out at an Electrify America station, where charging costs $0.43 per kilowatt-hour. Gas for a large pickup truck is expensive, especially during these difficult times of inflation and skyrocketing gas prices, so anyone trying to save money on a ‘fill up’ might be caught off-guard when charging this EV.
A team that has been testing various cars for several decades wanted to figure out the cost of charging the battery of any electric pickup truck. They put in the 2022 GMC Hummer EV for a quick charge and discovered that the battery recharging might cost more than $100, reported Car and Driver.
At a station run by Electrify America, the Hummer was plugged in to charge from 10% to 90%. Adding an 80 percent charge cost us $81, including sales tax, at the current $0.43 per kWh rate. Extrapolating from that, it would cost more than $100 to charge a battery at a DC fast-charging station from zero to one hundred percent.
Among the 20 competitors in the field of EV of the Year contenders this year, the Hummer did manage to reach an astounding 287-kW peak charge rate, second only to the Lucid Air. Due in part to the size of the battery pack, its average state of charge between 10 and 90 percent was a less impressive 98 kW and adding that 80-percent charge took one hour and 49 minutes.
The overall battery capacity of the Hummer EV, 212.7 kWh, multiplied by $0.43, doesn’t quite equal $100. However, there are charging losses, as demonstrated by the fact that the 80 percent fill required 177.9 kWh or around 5% more than what actually entered the pack (80% of the total capacity is 170.2 kWh). The charging session happened in Michigan, where there is a 6% sales tax. This varies from state to state.
Charges might differ by state as well as by charge supplier. But the fact still stands: just because GM tried to redesign the Hummer for the electric age doesn’t mean it will be inexpensive to fuel. Whatever the engine, it is still a 9640-pound, 1000-horsepower, four-wheel-drive pickup truck that costs six figures.