The GMC Hummer EV is just now entering production, but it turns out that GMC had a few more surprises to share and that included the filming of a 60-minute documentary which documents the entire story of the Hummer EV and even sheds light on details that few in the general public knew about during the Hummer’s road from being a design sketch to becoming a full-fledged electrified pickup.
Documentary Sheds Light On Every Hummer Milestone
The documentary was shot in a partnership between GMC and A+E networks the company that’s better known for being the corporate face of the History Channel as well as its sister network FYI. A key aspect of the documentary is the high levels of access that the film team was granted to document every aspect of the Hummer EV. The film team (led by director Sean King O’Grady) not only traveled deep in the bowels of the GM Tech Center to see some of the early design sketches, but also to the Upper Penninsula to see the Hummer tackle cold weather testing as well as the arid desert of the western United States to see the Hummer be pushed to its limits.
“Our goal was to upend what an electric vehicle is capable of and push the boundaries from 100 years of vehicle development experience,” said Josh Tavel, executive chief engineer. “This documentary captures the soul of a team capable of incredible innovation and resilience. Their learnings are laying the foundation of vehicle development for decades to come.”
“Throughout the film, we incorporated imagery of the team fine-tuning the GMC HUMMER EV and testing across a variety of rugged terrains and cutting-edge industrial settings,” said Jesse Ford, founder of WTP Pictures and producer of the film. “We’re excited to show audiences how hobbies and experiences inspired real world features like CrabWalk1.”
Factory Zero Also Gets To Shine
In addition to featuring plenty of Hummer footage, the documentary also shines a light on the Factory Zero plant in Hamtramck, Michigan. Once an aging plant that was controversial when it was first built and was slated for closure by a bankruptcy hobbled GM, the film reveals the steps that the company took to help transform the facility into a state of the art EV production powerhouse that is slated to be a prominent symbol of GM’s electrified future as more models enter dealerships.
The Hummer EV is one of the products produced at the facility, and will eventually share production space with other members of the Ultium family as GM gradually expands the lineup. The documentary crew shot their fair share of footage in the facility, and look for it to be a prominent part of the film.
When Can I Watch It?
The documentary will make its inaugural debut on the History Channel on March 27th at 11 am during the network’s DRIVE programming block which also houses other automotive-themed programming. Folks that miss this airing will have a second chance on March 31st when an encore presentation will take place at 9 pm on History’s sister channel FYI. After these two showings, the film will move to History’s website and Hulu channel with GMC’s Youtube channel being the final location for the film but the brand won’t have it up on their website until April 3rd.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.