16-05-2025
2026 GMC Hummer EV: Faster, smarter and packed with new tech
2026 GMC Hummer EV: Faster, smarter and packed with new tech
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One of the most astonishing aspects of the 2025 GMC Hummer EV pickup is that this 9,000-pound electric behemoth can go from a standstill to 60 mph in three seconds. A second cool feature is Crab Walk, enabling the truck to seemingly sashay from side to side with the front and rear wheels turned in the same direction.
Apparently, those party tricks were not enough for GMC, today's curator of the Hummer brand. The automaker has found a way to improve both Hummer features. This means the huge truck launches even quicker, and all eighteen feet of its length can be steered with greater precision and the ability to navigate even tighter turns off-road.
GM has used software updates to enhance the truck for the 2026 model year. The '26 Hummer comes out later this year, so there's a bit of a wait, but also some of the improvements will be sent over the air to prior models, so current owners aren't totally left out. The Hummer is the first software-defined vehicle for GM, meaning new features or performance are added or can be unlocked via software over time.
The hardware for the improvements has been in place since 2022. The advanced platform and electrical architecture of the truck make it possible to continue to make improvements and add features with software. As GM gathers more data about its vehicles, it also reveals more ways to unlock more performance and capability.
More neck-snapping launches
By optimizing the software and propulsion calibration, engineers say they have shaved 0.2 seconds off the launch time in the 2026 Hummer EV pickup. With its large 24-module battery pack and two motors in the rear and one up front for a combined 1,160 hp and about 1,200 lb-ft of torque, the improvements spell a new time: 2.8 seconds to hit 60 mph.
This is exclusive to the 2026 model, at least for now. It starts with a limited production run of the Hummer EV Carbon Fiber Edition pickup and SUV, based on the top 3X trim. The ability is there to unlock the extra performance on prior models in the future.
Launching Watts to Freedom (WTF) mode for max acceleration is unchanged: double press the traction control button, acknowledge you want WTF mode, feel the haptic seat start to vibrate in anticipation, hear the sound amp up and the graphics light up. The vehicle will lower in preparation, the battery temperature is optimized, and a message tells the driver to put their left foot on the brake, right foot on the accelerator, and then the digital drive coach tells you to 'floor it' by releasing the brake. The vehicle crouches and unleashes. Your neck snaps back. You can't help laughing out loud as the G-forces hit your body and this driveway-cracking monstrosity takes off like it was fired from a gun.
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Time to giggle
Experiencing it as a passenger while an engineer did repeated launches in a prototype, the gauges showed acceleration of 0.8-G as the truck quickly hit 96 mph. The next launch had a bit of a wiggle and hop as the vehicle crouched back on its haunches, nose pointed upward before it lunged forward and was soon at 101 mph. The impact is like being hit full force from the rear. For comparison: the GMC Sierra EV, with a Max Power mode, needs 4.5 seconds to hit 60 — way longer, even though it shares some hardware with the Hummer.
For an engineer like Aaron Phau, achieving 2.8 seconds not only feels different, it is also an emotional achievement to be under the 3.0 second mark. 'It is an exciting day in a development engineer's life,' said the vehicle performance manager for battery electric trucks.
You can stay in the mode for as long as you want and do repeated launches. The only degradation is that when range gets below 50 percent, you will feel a slight drop-off in performance, Phau says.
When you are done with your fun, get out of WTF mode so the vehicle will return to normal drive height for daily driving.
So how did GM do it?
Inverter limits were increased to extract more power from the battery to the drive units. Engineers also recalibrated the slip targets to manage wheel slip with the extra power and manage the torque. Ride quality was also enhanced with more control from the electronically controlled semi-active dampers. The spring rates remain the same, but the amount of damping force is increased so more force can be applied to manage vertical motion. GM also changed the way the control units are managed to unlock more power.
The faster launch will not be available on the GMC Hummer SUV because, with its smaller footprint, it can only fit the smaller 20-module battery pack. Not that the SUV is a slouch: it can still hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
And while there are boost systems for the Sierra EV and the Chevrolet Silverado EV, those trucks have a different suspension and cannot be lowered to the same extent for launch as the Hummer.
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Adding King Crab to the menu
One of the most eye-catching Hummer tricks is Crab Walk, where the four wheels are pointed in the same direction, allowing the truck to scuttle ahead on a diagonal path to get out of tight situations. The King Crab off-road rear-steer mode has the front and rear wheels turned in opposite directions, with the rear wheels spinning significantly faster, to help make, say, a sharp angled maneuver around a tree. It helps the rear end of the vehicle swing around, avoiding a two- or three-point turn. It also makes it easier to find good placement if stuck going up loose rocks for more traction to try again. Camera views show the position of the wheels, as well as the terrain they are covering.
King Crab allows the driver to position the truck more accurately and execute with greater precision. We rode along on an off-road course where the wide truck made sharp turns around trees that would have required a multi-point turn without the feature.
Regular Crab Walk is helpful if you slide down a ditch, it will help walk the truck back up without the rear end sliding back down. But King Crab is the feature for a tight turn with all four wheels working to find grip. It is one more tool to make off-roading more fun, says ride and handling engineer Mike Burns.
Solving the mystery mode
Like Crab walk, you push a button on the drive mode dial to enable King Crab. Crab Walk is in the 9-o'clock position; King Crab will be at 3 o'clock on 2026 models. An over-the-air update will activate it on older models. On those, King Crab will be in the same position, filling the 'mystery mode' spot on current models with its triangular graphic that was a holding spot for a future feature. This is the feature.
Why not just make the more extreme rear wheel steering standard, giving the truck a tighter turning radius at all times? Most people will keep it on all the time, but there are instances where you don't want it, like backing up with a trailer where you want it off, Burns says.
The GMC Sierra EV pickup is offered with Crab Walk and the Chevrolet Silverado EV has a similar system it calls Sidewinder mode, but they will not get King Crab. It is exclusive to Hummer which boasts unexpected and unmatched capability, Burns said. 'There's nothing else out there that has these features.'
King Crab will be standard across the 2X and 3X Pickup and SUV trims for the 2026 model year. It will also go out to all 2022 through 2025 Hummer EV pickup and SUV owners through an over-the-air update later this year.
Updates to the 2026 GMC Hummer
For the 2026 model year, the Hummers also add bi-directional charging to allow vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-vehicle charging capability.
The 2026 Hummer will have three new exterior and three new interior colors, a new off-road wheel design, a higher-resolution infotainment screen, and enhanced Super Cruise for hands-free driving with lane change.
The 2026 Carbon Fiber Edition trucks and SUVs have their own distinctive matte gray exterior and ember interior, unique 22-inch carbon fiber black wheels, all-terrain tires, carbon fiber inserts in the hood, mirror caps and skid plate, black approach shield and tonneau cover. Production begins at Factory Zero later this year. Pricing has not been announced.
As for those rumors about bringing back a Hummer with an internal combustion engine — if GM is working on it, it is news to engineers like Phau.
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