Desert Camo Future for an Upcoming GMC?

It’s a big maybe, but it’s something GM Defense — General Motors’ military arm — would like to see happen.

We’re talking about the looming GMC Hummer EV pickup, a massive, un-Nissan Leaf-like electric vehicle originally scheduled for a May 20th debut. While the launch is postponed to a hazy future date, the model’s future applications remain, for now, unlimited.

Speaking to GM Authority, GM Defense President David Albritton lent support to the idea of the GMC Hummer EV one day serving the stars and stripes in a non-civilian role.

Calling it a “very highly-capable vehicle,” Albritton said the upcoming model “could provide a great base platform for an electric vehicle to be used in the military context.” Up to 400-miles of electric range, coupled with four-wheel motivation and an enormous amount of horsepower and torque, would indeed prove useful in some situations. The model’s operation would be quieter, certainly more so than a diesel-powered rig, and its heat signature would be reduced.

As a vehicle for missions of limited range, it could prove useful, though the drawback is that operators wouldn’t be able to carry jerry cans of electricity in the field. Alas, it’s the same concern many civilians have when it comes to EVs. As well, the weight of the vehicle’s battery pack could hamper smaller airlifts.

Currently, there’s no plan to pull an A-Team job on the GMC Hummer, though the GM Defense boss did say “we’d like to position ourselves as the company that can provide those kinds of capabilities if or when they’re needed [by the client].”

Last month, the division secured a beefy contract to supply the U.S. Army’s Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), a model that shares 90 percent of its components with the off-road-oriented Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.

As for the newly created Hummer sub-brand, the EV pickup will be joined by an SUV shortly after its market entry.

[Images: General Motors]