It looks cool, but we have some serious doubts.
EarthCruiser has unveiled its first zero-tailpipe emissions overland vehicle, based on the controversialGMC Hummer EV Pickup. According to its maker, the GMC Hummer EV EarthCruiser upfit by EarthCruiser (not even the Hummer's tailgate is long enough for its official name) has several technological and design innovations to provide customers with a premium experience.
We'll start with the most apparent upgrade first. The "house" is made of carbon fiber and is fully integrated into the truck's chassis. With the tri-layer pop-up roof erected, the owner gains access to a full-size bed big enough for two people, a seven-inch-diagonal touchscreen control panel, a sink, an induction cooker, a fridge/freezer, storage drawers and cabinets, and a flat-pack toilet.
在营地里米ode, the Hummer EarthCruiser is 117 inches tall, resulting in 80 inches of headroom at the entrance, 76 inches in the hallway, and 35 inches in the bed area.
On the outside, there's a shower, recovery gear storage, access to filtered water, 13.5 gallons of fresh water, a seven-gallon grey tank, and loads of lights. These lights can be controlled via an exterior keypad.
"We are proud to work with GMC on the design and manufacturing of such an exceptional product. It feels right, it feels like it belongs," said EarthCruiser CEO and founder Lance Gillies. "Using our years of overlanding expertise, we have ensured nothing is out of place, unnecessary, or wasted in this vehicle. This collaboration with the GMC team has provided the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the zero-tailpipe emission possibilities for overland and recreational vehicle travelers. We have produced a comfortable, capable product, built to a high caliber of excellence - one that our customers can take pride in."
While all of the above is fairly interesting, there are some important missing details. We've been promised more details will become available later this year, but our first concerns are the weight and range implications.
The Hummer EV is hardly the poster child for emissions-free driving, which isa complete mythin any case, and too much weight would make iteven less efficient.
By now, everyone knows about the Hummer'sweight problem, and we'd love to see the claimed figure for this overlander. Earthcruiser removed the rear seats, which saved a few pounds, but then it added everything mentioned earlier. The carbon fiber construction is impressive, but the combined weight of the standard features will likely push the Hummer pickup's weight to over 10,000 pounds once you're fully loaded up.
But our biggest concern is range. Depending on which model you choose, the Hummer can only cover between 250 to 355 miles on a single charge. It has a 205 kWh battery, which takes 45 minutes to charge from 20% to 80%. Using a Level 2 home charger, you're looking at roughly 16 hours. Using the socket at an RV park will likely take the rest of your life.
Factor in the aerodynamic inefficiency of the camper box on top, and those figures are likely to drop substantially.
The only power solution EarthCruiser mentions is the onboard solar solution providing 605W and a 6 kWh lithium battery. The company says it's good enough to power the appliances for up to a week.
As for charging the car, EarthCruiser says that it's not a problem. You plug it into a charger and rest until it's fully charged and ready to hit the road. For a company that has been building custom overlanders for several decades, EarthCruiser must know that the concept behind this kind of off-roading is to get off the grid. Going on an overland journey, knowing that you must never stray more than 100 miles from the nearest charger, is pointless. You could buy a generator, but looking at the Hummer's charging times, you'll spend one day driving and the rest of your getaway charging.
Rivian has startederecting charging ports for adventurersin off-the-grid spots, but it's still insufficient. For now, we'll stick to the list ofcars we know are good at overlanding holidays.
The EarthCruiser upfit will be available in 2024, only for Hummer EV pickup models.
Acura
Alfa Romeo
Aston Martin
Audi
Automobili Pininfarina
Bentley
BMW
Bollinger
BrightDrop
Bugatti
Buick
Cadillac
Caterham
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ferrari
Fiat
Fisker
Ford
Genesis
GMC
Gordon Murray Automotive
亨尼西
Honda
Hyundai
英力士奥特曼otive
Infiniti
Jaguar
Jeep
Karma
Kia
Koenigsegg
Lamborghini
Land Rover
Lexus
Lincoln
Lordstown
Lotus
Lucid Motors
Maserati
Mazda
McLaren
梅塞德斯-奔驰
Mini
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Pagani
Polestar
Porsche
Ram
Rimac
Rivian
Rolls-Royce
Spyker
Subaru
Tesla
Toyota
VinFast
Volkswagen
Volvo
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