The GMC Hummer EV pickup truck and SUV models have seemingly picked up right where their bellicose siblings left off back in 2010. Thanks to the team over at Frame on YouTube, we now have a chance to step inside GM’s Factory Zero assembly plant and see just how these jumbo electric vehicles are screwed together.
The Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, now known as Factory Zero, is slated to be one of GM’s main EV production facilities in the United States. The site itself was once home to the first Dodge facility in the Motor City, and has produced more than four million vehicles for GM since its ownership began in 1985. The site underwent a dramatic transformation ahead of the Hummer EV’s debut, recently going offline again for upgrades needed to add the Silverado EV and Sierra EV to the plant’s build list. Frame got to take a trip inside the plant while some Hummer EVs were being built, giving us all a look at the process. Like any modern automotive factory, there’s a huge number of six axis robots at play inside Factory Zero. These machines do everything from spot welding to paint application, working in a symphony with one another. It’s a rather soothing process to behold. Humans are still involved across the entire process, taking part in inspecting and installing various components and modules. Large conveyors and autonomous vehicles move the incomplete Hummers around the site, which is pretty impressive given the overall size of the thing. Watching employees interact with the Hummer’s gigantic 212-kWh battery is intriguing in its own right, whether that involves the filling process or simply transporting the lump around the factory floor.
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Getting that battery inside the Hummer EV’s chassis is perhaps the most intriguing part of the clip. The body-in-white is lifted into the air on a traditional two-post lift and the factory’s conveyor system, before a team works to get the battery aligned with the chassis. The lift is then simply lowered on top of the battery pack, with employees ready to secure the pack in place. The size of the hydraulic hardware involved is a good hint at the heft we’re dealing with here. The conveyor continues on its way, with items like the drive units lifted up into place and bolted on.
FRAME on YouTube
Once general construction on a Hummer EV is complete, the vehicle is sent to GM’s on-site testing facility for final checks. This process includes a quality control check, as well as a trip through some important dyno calibration tests. It’s a long build process, but one that is fitting of a vehicle positioned like the Hummer EV. That said, GM hasn’t had a particularly easy time getting these things to customers, only two units sold during the first quarter of the year. That was largely due to the facility getting prepped for additional nameplates, with production numbers expected to rise throughout 2023. That’s going to be important, as GM has some 90,000 Hummer EV and Hummer EV SUV reservations to work through.
FRAME on YouTube
Lucas Bell
Born and raised in Metro Detroit, associate editor Lucas Bell has spent his entire life surrounded by the automotive industry. He may daily drive an aging Mustang, but his Porsche 944 and NB Miata both take up most of his free time.
Keyword: Watch How GM Builds the GMC Hummer EV