Can EVs Overland? We Chased the Eclipse in a Hummer EV SUV to Find Out
My wife, Mercedes, and I were one of tens of thousands who traveled to Texas for the recent solar eclipse. We trekked from Dallas to east Texas in the 2024 GMC Hummer EV 3X SUV (with extreme off-road package) to view the event in a prime location.
Along the way, we’d visit off-road trails, camp, and attempt to capture the eclipse without using any gasoline.
Hummer: An Enormous EV SUV
The Hummer EV SUV isn’t your typical electric vehicle or off-roader. It’s huge: 18 feet long, 7’2” wide, and 6’6” ft. tall. It weighs 8,660 pounds, and the battery pack alone weighs as much as some small cars.
It has four-wheel steering (with “Crabwalk”), air suspension, and about 300 miles of range. Plus, it’s loaded with tech.
This electric behemoth’s interior is “Texas big” and comes complete with bright high-contrast screens providing EV stats and off-road information. The roof has optional removable Sky Panels with translucent panes. The rearview mirror is a screen, not a mirror.
Even the swing-open tailgate is electric and opens and closes at the push of a button. There’s lots of storage for camp gear, too, whether in the back or in the electric frunk (front trunk).
Preemptive Planning
Longer trips in EVs require careful planning. This includes determining your trip’s length, charging locations, and how long you can go between charges. We planned our route meticulously and came up with a viable plan.
Our trip would be over 500 miles total. From Dallas to Mount Pleasant to charge, south to Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area in Gilmer, up to a camp spot between the two locations, and back to Barnwell for the eclipse. Then, we’d reverse course and go back to Dallas.
Could the Hummer EV SUV be a viable offroader or an electric overlander?
Charged Up, Ready to Go
Before leaving, we visited an EVgo charging station in Irving. It wouldn’t take our first credit card but took our second. An hour on the charger, and we were 100% full and bound for the next charging station in Mount Pleasant, 139 miles away.
With three electric motors, 830 horsepower, and a claimed 11,500 pound-feet of torque (which is the combined torque at the wheels, not the driveline), this rig has some serious scoot. It can get to 60 mph from a standstill in 3.5 seconds.
Highway Hauler
As a highway hauler, the rig easily cruises at 75 mph on Texas Interstates. There’s gobs of grunt and passing power. It’s not silent, but most of the noise comes from the wind, due to the rooftop tent and the Goodyear Wrangler Territory mud-terrain tires on our review vehicle.
The ride is stiff, and the seats are a bit flat, but it’s not an uncomfortable experience. Super Cruise provides hands-free driving on certain highways, plus there’s automatic lane changing. Overall, the system works as advertised.
Off-Road Wattage
Mount Pleasant had four charging spots, including fast 350kW chargers. We charged from 44% to 100% in about an hour and a half.
Once full, we drove to Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area — 40 miles away — for some off-road action.
Barnwell is a private off-road park with miles of trails and a wide range of difficulty. Our bright orange Hummer got lots of curious glares. You could see people thinking — you’re not really going to take that off-road, are you?
Passersby told us to be careful and watch the ground clearance. Others took photos as it was the first Hummer EV SUV they’d seen, and likely the first in the park. We even got some compliments.
One neat feature the Hummer EV has is Air Down Mode. On the touchscreen, you set what tire pressure you want. You then manually deflate each tire until the horn honks. This lets you know you’re at your desired pressure — no need for a tire pressure gauge. It’s an innovative way to use the TPMS. It works the same when reinflating tires.
With a curb weight of over 8,600 pounds, I only brought the LT305/70R18 Goodyear mud-terrains down to 28 psi, so as not to lose a bead.
Hummer EV Dirt Drive Modes
The Hummer has multiple driving modes. Each changes throttle response, traction, and other driving dynamics.
For Barnwell, I opted for Terrain mode, which is suited to slower, more technical driving. With the press of a button, I raised the SUV from 10.1 inches of ground clearance to 11.9 inches with the air suspension. If that wasn’t high enough, there’s an “extract” height (available only in Terrain mode at speeds under 12 mph) that lifts the Hummer up nearly 6 more inches for a total of 16 inches of clearance.
I also ensured that the rig’s automatic rear steering was enabled for maximum agility.
To the Trail
The first off-road test was a play area with undulating obstacles and small washouts. I used the various cameras and views to keep an eye on ground clearance and upcoming obstacles.
The Hummer had optional rock sliders, which I used when testing the 34.4-degree breakover angle.
For a rig this heavy, it was remarkable off-road. I drove it in the “L” transmission position, simulating a low-range gear. The one-pedal driving was also great in this situation. Let off the accelerator and the Hummer would slow down exceptionally fast. This gave me terrific control when traversing obstacles.
My favorite feature was the automatic four-wheel steering, which allows the rear wheels to turn up to 10 degrees in either direction. This gives the Hummer EV SUV a 35.4-foot turning radius — the same as a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. It allowed this hulking SUV to be maneuvered down tight trails with confidence.
We ran various routes, some with decent climbs and descents. Several allowed me to test the 49.6-degree approach and 49-degree departure angles and the locking front and rear axles. Without the rear steering, I would’ve hesitated to attempt these tighter trails.
The Hummer EV SUV was surprisingly fun to wheel on both challenging trails and scenic routes.
I played with most of the menus. Some showed pitch and roll, others let us view elevation, a compass, and latitude and longitude. There were menus showing how much power was being put to the ground, and electricity usage readouts.
The variety of camera angles was most useful. Yes, I tried the much-hyped Crabwalk, but found it to be a novelty.
We didn’t use the Power Station feature, which allows generator functionality and the ability to charge other EVs.
Watching the Range
We kept a watchful eye on our range all day. We still had to get to camp that night, which wouldn’t have a charger, and then back to Barnwell the next day for the eclipse — all without a recharge.
After airing up the tires, we went 30 miles to Coppergate Ranch for camping. We found a spot, set up the rooftop tent, and met other people there for the eclipse.
The Hummer got lots of attention, especially when we said it was electric. The rooftop tent also sparked many conversations.
Back to Barnwell for the Eclipse
The next morning it was back to Barnwell for the eclipse, slated for 1:44 p.m.
Once there, the drive mode system wouldn’t go into Terrain mode. I ended up trying “My Mode,” which I customized to mimic Terrain mode, which included raising the rig’s suspension up.
We found a shady spot, opened the tailgate to get supplies, made breakfast, and took more photos of our “Afterburner Tintcoat” (aka “orange”) EV.
We found the electric tailgate to be a mixed bag. Sometimes it’d open all the way, sometimes not. When it worked, it was great.
The keyless entry/push-button start was also a bit finicky. We couldn’t figure out why the rear doors kept locking and the horn would honk three times for seemingly no reason.
Once breakfast was done, we off-roaded some more. The rig eventually went into Terrain mode.
We found a spot to view and hopefully photograph the eclipse. The sky was a mix of sun and thick clouds, but as the eclipse drew closer, the sky magically cleared. It grew dark and eerie as the moon covered the sun. Before we knew it, the eclipse was over.
Severe storms were moving into the area, and we wanted to get back to Mount Pleasant (40 miles away) before they rolled in. If storms knocked out power, we’d have to find another charger before returning to Dallas. Luckily, we made it back with 100 miles of range and no storms — yet.
Public Charging Challenges
Mount Pleasant’s charging stations were abuzz with EVs after the eclipse. One of the four chargers was down, and there was a four-vehicle wait to plug in. Eventually, we took a power bump to 82% — enough to get back to Dallas on one charge.
We were supposed to camp again that night, but with the imminent threat of widespread severe weather, we returned to Dallas and hoteled it. When we arrived, we had 22% left — about 66 miles. We planned to charge the next morning before dropping the Hummer off at the airport.
When we arrived at the EVgo chargers in Euless, Texas, the next morning, we encountered more inoperable chargers and no way to recharge in time for our flight. We called EVgo and were told the charger we were trying to use was offline. We ended up dropping the Hummer off with 64 miles of range left. While enough to make it to another Dallas-area charging station, if this was somewhere else, we might have had a problem.
EVs, Off-Roading, and Overlanding: It’s Getting There
As EV ranges improve and charging infrastructure expands, getting to backcountry off-road trails and taking longer overland trips gets more realistic.
Our biggest challenge was public charging. We didn’t go that far off-grid, but four of the eight chargers (both EVgo and Electrify America) we attempted to use didn’t work. We were able to do everything we wanted, but a 50% charging success rate isn’t great.
Public charging was also more expensive than anticipated. At up to $0.64 per kWh, our most expensive charge was $68.67, which took us from 44% to 100%. For comparison, if we needed to fill an ICE SUV’s 30-gallon gas tank at the current Texas average of $3.22, it would cost $96.60.
Short of learning the Hummer’s ins and outs (and the brief disappearance of Terrain mode), the enormous EV did everything we wanted it to do and more. The tech helped us off-road a 4.3-ton EV and, frankly, it’s a lot of fun to drive on pavement and in the dirt.
Its jack-o-lantern paint scheme only added to its larger-than-life personality; this isn’t a vehicle for introverts. I ended up liking it way more than I anticipated. The combination of power, off-road prowess, and style was more appealing than I thought.
FYI, this rig came in at just under $120,000 including the extreme off-road package. It’s not exactly for everyone.
EV Off-Roading & Overlanding: The Next Adventure Frontier?
Adventuring with an EV is all about range and planning. One could argue taking an EV on any long-distance trip — especially when off-roading and camping — is an adventure unto itself. Perhaps EV overlanding is really the next frontier when it comes to motorized vehicle recreation.
The Hummer EV 3X SUV (with extreme off-road package) might be the most culturally American of EVs, too. It’s huge, it’s capable, and it’s extravagant. It even has an American flag embossed on the body. It’s everything a Hummer ever was, but without fossil fuel.
As an overlander, it’s surprisingly good. Just make sure you plan your routes around charging, and you can have great electric adventures.
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