Lucas Bell 
When the GMC Hummer EV made its debut back in October, it arrived with quite a bit of fanfare. Not only is this the first electric pickup to be offered by one of America’s legacy automakers, but it just so happens to have 1,000 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft of torque on tap. That said, the only way to get a comma in both output figures in a Hummer-shaped package is to order the limited-production Edition 1 model. That is going to be a problem for most buyers however, as the truck managed to sell out in just ten minutes following the debut event. According to a new report from the Detroit Free Press, that might not stay the case for long.
According to the report, GMC received enough orders for the Hummer EV Edition 1 model to fill the entire first year of production, with an alleged 10,000 preorders. Of which, several thousand hand raisers are on a waiting list for the striking new electric pickup truck. Of course the production cap on the range-topping truck will prevent the automaker from using that first year to exclusively build this trim level. This may not be the case for very much longer however. An anonymous GMC dealer told the Detroit Free Press that the automaker is evaluating the possibility of building more Edition 1 models.
The decision to increase production figures for the GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 isn’t as simple as just telling the factory to build more units. The assembly line has to be able to meet this increased demand without compromising production of other trims. General Motors invested $2.2 billion into their Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center to transform it into the newly named Factory Zero, where the Hummer will be built starting in late 2021. The new facility had to be built with certain production totals in mind, and may require more investment dollars to expand its capability.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about an automaker mulling over the idea of increasing EV production. Ford has already announced that they will be increasing production of the electric F-150 pickup to meet rising consumer demand. This decision from Ford came before they even opened any sort of pre-ordering system, which only highlights the incredible desire for these electric pickups. Perhaps GMC is already feeling this same pressure.
We may soon learn that GMC has officially increased Hummer EV Edition 1 production beyond the company’s initial targets. That said, GMC never came forward to tell us how many of these trucks they planned to build in the first place. Perhaps GMC always planned to gauge the public’s reaction to the $112,595+ pickup before they committed to selling a certain number. Either way, we don’t think anyone expected electric trucks to be such a hot commodity.
