- GMC claims in a Super Bowl ad that the new Hummer EV truck makes 11,500 lb-ft of torque.
- This number sounds impressive, but it’s misleading because we suspect it was calculated using a non-standard way of reporting torque.
- The GMC Hummer EV will make its debut May 20, 2020, and go on sale in late 2021.
In a buzzworthy Super Bowl ad for its new Hummer electric truck, GMC is bragging that this new model makes an insane 11,500 lb-ft of torque. But this is like your doctor telling you that you have a 313-degree fever—in Kelvin. Although GMC isn’t providing more details about these braggadocious claims at this point, we suspect that this number was generated using an atypical way of reporting torque.
Torque is a measure of the amount of rotating force produced by an engine—or, in the case of an EV, an electric motor (or multiple motors). It is calculated in either pound-feet or newton-meters, as measured at the crankshaft. But this 11,500-lb-ft number is almost certainly referring to the amount of torque measured at the wheels, meaning it is multiplied by the Hummer’s gear ratio (or ratios).
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Applying this same method to other conventional gasoline-powered trucks would generate equally shocking numbers. The Chevy Silverado 3500HD’s 6.6-liter turbo-diesel V-8 engine makes 910 lb-ft at the crank, but multiplying that number by its first-gear and final-drive ratios results in an insane 14,129 lb-ft, more than the Hummer’s claim.
Hummer is not providing the new electric truck’s gearing at this point. But based on the light-duty Silverado’s gear ratios—which range from 13.8 to 16.1 depending on engine, transmission, and final-drive options—we can guess that the Hummer’s real torque number is somewhere between 715 and 834 lb-ft.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
