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The Hummer EV Edition 1 is sold out and it'll be years before other trims arrive

When the 2022 GMC Hummer EV was revealed, GMC noted that there would be lower trims available. The company has since provided a few more details on those lower trims, which is helpful to know now that the only trim on sale next year, the Edition 1, was sold out in a scant 10 minutes. However, it's going to be a long time before they're all available.  The entry-level GMC Hummer EV is the EV2. This is the model that will start at $79,995, and unlike the Edition 1, it gets just two motors, one for each end of the truck, each with electronically locking differentials. Output is down to 625 horsepower and a torque rating of 7,400 pound-feet. Note that this and all other reported torque numbers are after the torque multiplication by the single-speed transmissions, hence the extremely high numbers. The company hasn't given torque numbers at the motors, which would be more comparable to other electric cars. Range is also reduced to 250 miles, probably due to a smaller battery pack. Fast charging is also restricted to 400-volt charging, so it won't be as fast as the higher trim models. The removable roof panels, retractable rear window, MultiPro tailgate, Super Cruise and 35-inch tires are standard. This model only gets fixed steel suspension and two-wheel steering. The EV2 will be the last of the trim levels to go on sale, with a target of spring 2024. Yes, as in 3.5 years from now.  The next level is the EV2X, which will be available a year earlier in the spring of 2023. It gets the same powertrain as the EV2, but adds 800-volt fast charging and a 300-mile range. It also gets the adaptive air suspension and four-wheel steering, plus the associated party tricks of Crab Mode and Extract Mode. This model costs $89,995. The earliest Hummer EV that isn't an Edition 1 and therefore not yet sold out will be the EV3X, the entry-level three-motor model. It goes on sale in the fall of 2022 at a price of $99,995. It's not quite as potent as the Edition 1, though, with an output of 800 horsepower and 9,500 pound-feet of torque. It also lacks the "Watts to Freedom (WTF)" launch control feature. But it does get torque-vectoring with the dual rear motors, which can also lock their speeds to be equal like with the mechanical locking differential at the front. The EV3X's range is 300 miles like the EV2X.  As for the Edition 1, it started $112,595 before it was sold out. Customers are to expect them in fall 2021.

IIHS: High numbers of drivers treat partially automated cars as fully self-driving

WASHINGTON — Drivers using advanced driver assistance systems like Tesla Autopilot or General Motors Super Cruise often treat their vehicles as fully self-driving despite warnings, a new study has found. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an industry funded group that prods automakers to make safer vehicles, said on Tuesday a survey found regular users of Super Cruise, Nissan/Infiniti ProPILOT Assist and Tesla Autopilot "said they were more likely to perform non-driving-related activities like eating or texting while using their partial automation systems than while driving unassisted." The IIHS study of 600 active users found 53% of Super Cruise, 42% of Autopilot and 12% of ProPILOT Assist owners "said that they were comfortable treating their vehicles as fully self-driving." About 40% of users of Autopilot and Super Cruise — two systems with lockout features for failing to pay attention — reported systems had at some point switched off while they were driving and would not reactivate. "The big-picture message here is that the early adopters of these systems still have a poor understanding of the technologyÂ’s limits," said IIHS President David Harkey. The study comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is scrutinizing Autopilot crashes. Since 2016, the NHTSA has opened 37 special investigations involving 18 deaths in crashes involving Tesla vehicles and where systems like Autopilot were suspected of use. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Tesla says Autopilot does not make vehicles autonomous and is intended for use with a fully attentive driver who is prepared to take over. GM, which in August said owners could use Super Cruise on 400,000 miles (643,740 km) of North American roads and plans to offer Super Cruise on 22 models by the end of 2023, did not immediately comment. IIHS said advertisements for Super Cruise focus on hands-free capabilities while Autopilot evokes the name used in passenger airplanes and "implies TeslaÂ’s system is more capable than it really is." IIHS in contrast noted ProPILOT Assist "suggests that itÂ’s an assistance feature, rather than a replacement for the driver." NHTSA and automakers say none of the systems make vehicles autonomous. Nissan said its name "is clearly communicating ProPILOT Assist as a system to aid the driver, and it requires hands-on operation.

GM CEO Mary Barra predicts mass electrification will take decades

General Motors is allocating a substantial amount of money to the development of electric technology, but Mary Barra, the firm's CEO, conceded that battery-powered cars won't fully replace their gasoline-burning counterparts for several decades. She stressed the shift is ongoing, but she hinted it will be slower than many assume. "We believe the transition will happen over time," affirmed Barra on "Leadership Live with David Rubenstein," a talk show aired by Bloomberg Television. She added that not every car will be electric in 2040. "It will happen in a little bit longer period, but it will happen," she told the host. She was presumably talking about the United States market; the situation is markedly different in Europe and in China, where strict government regulations (and even stricter ones on the horizon) are accelerating the shift towards electric cars. On the surface, it doesn't look like General Motors has much invested in electrification; the only battery-powered model it sells in America in 2020 is the Chevrolet Bolt (pictured), which undeniably remains a niche vehicle. Sales totaled 16,418 units in 2019, meaning the Corvette beat it by about 1,500 sales. In comparison, Cadillac sold 35,424 examples of the aging last-generation Escalade during the same time period. And yet, the company isn't giving up. It has numerous electric models in the pipeline including a slightly larger version of the aforementioned Bolt, the much-hyped GMC Hummer pickup, and an electric crossover assigned to the Cadillac brand. These models (and others) will use the Ultium battery technology that General Motors is currently developing. Its engineers are also working on a modular platform capable of underpinning a wide variety of cars. Bringing these innovations to the market is a Herculean task. EVs may not take over for decades, but Barra and her team must believe their 2% market share will increase significantly in the coming years if they're approving these programs. Autonomous technology is even costlier, more complicated, and more time-consuming to develop. Barra nonetheless expects to see the first General Motors-built driverless vehicles on the road by 2025. "I definitely think it will happen within the next five years. Our Cruise team is continuing to develop technology so it's safer than a human driver. I think you'll see it clearly within five years," she said on the same talk show. Her statement is vague but realistic.