Here’s proof that an electric car with a big battery is a bad idea

The US Energy Agency has just revealed the consumption of the new Hummer EV. And the least we can say is that it is simply gargantuan. Which shouldn’t really help him find success in Europe, if he ever lands here.

If we knew the Hummer as a huge 4X4 equipped with a big five-cylinder petrol engine, things have changed a lot as environmental standards are increasingly strict. This is how the former behemoth turned into an electric pick-up, also available in an SUV.

Gargantuan consumption

This newcomer should be one of the models that may make their way to Europe very soon, with the Cadillac Lyriq. But the General Motors group will not return to France immediately, since it will first aim a handful of Nordic countries, although it has not yet been officially confirmed. It must be said that with an empty weight of 4.1 tonnes (including a 1.5 tonne battery), you need a special license to drive it in many countries.

Anyway, if the Hummer EV has already revealed a large part of its characteristics, including its power and its autonomy, we did not know its consumption until now. But to tell the truth, we suspected that it would be high. We had in fact calculated that it would oscillate between 30 and 32.5 kWh/100 km depending on the version.

But now the US Energy Agency (EPA) has just announced the exact registration figures. And these are as high as we could have expected, as detailed on the American site InsideEVs. In its pick-up version fitted with standard tyres, the vehicle displays an average consumption of 39.5 kWh/100 km in a mixed cycle and according to the American EPA cycle which is stricter than our European WLTP.

A number that is identical for the SUV variantsince both display a autonomy of 314 miles, or 505 kilometers. Again, this means according to the EPA cycle, which should be around 550 kilometers in WLTP. Note that these data only concern the version fitted with the 20-module battery, displaying a capacity of about 170 kWh.

But be careful, because even with this gargantuan consumption, the cost per 100 km is lower than a thermal car! Indeed, with a recharge at home (at 0.2 euro per kWh), this gives around 8 euros for 100 km. Thermal cars rather claim more than 10 euros to cover the same distance.

Disappointing numbers

Do you think the consumption is high? Wait until you see the one for the version equipped with all-terrain tires! And for good reason, this one is displayed at 41.9 kWh/100 kilometers, while range hovers around 298 EPA miles. Which corresponds to about 479 kilometers, but a little more according to the WLTP cycle. Suffice to say that it remains disappointing for a vehicle displaying such a large size and having such a large battery.

Note that a larger version with 24 modules is also available as an option, displaying a capacity around 205 kWh. It’s simply huge, while we know that too big a pack has many disadvantages. Starting precisely with the high consumption and therefore the decrease in autonomy. What some manufacturers like Ford or Renault have understood very well.

They now choose tointegrate smaller batteries and rely in particular on fast charging. This will make it possible to travel long distances in a short time, without increasing consumption. This is proven by the ranking of Norwegian youtuber Bjørn Nyland with his 1,000 kilometer test. The latter shows that it is not necessarily the cars with a large accumulator that arrive the fastest.

But GMC isn’t the only brand to make this big mistake. This is indeed also the case of the Vietnamese manufacturer VinFast with its VF8 and VF9. The first is approved for 26 kWh / 100 km while the second displays between 26.4 and 29.5 kWh / 100 km in town and on the highway. To compare, the Cadillac Lyriq claims 21.8 kWh/100 km.

Only one electric car consumes more energy than the Hummer EV: the Lordston Endurance pickup, with 43.6 kWh / 100 in the EPA combined cycle. By way of comparison, the huge Tesla Model X announces a WLTP consumption of 19.1 kWh / 100 km, i.e. half as much!