General Motors developed the 2022 GMC Hummer EV in rapid time with help of virtual reality, an increasing trend for the automotive industry before and during the coronavirus pandemic.
GM CEO Mary Barra called the Hummer EV’s process a “new benchmark in GM’s ability to quickly bring EV products to market” on Twitter. What historically took GM and other automakers five to seven years to develop and launch a new vehicle is expected to be cut to under three years for the Hummer EV.
That’s important because it allows the automaker to bring more new or redesigned vehicles to market in a timelier fashion. New products typically mean increased sales as well as better profits.
The rapid development is a combination of prioritizing the vehicle; a new modular electric vehicle architecture; and a host of new processes and tools, including virtual reality, that allow employees to work more quickly as well as remotely. Such virtual processes for GM and other automakers are expected to continue going forward.
“Our leadership has challenged us to bring the Hummer EV to market fast, using our analytical tools, our computer-aided engineering and less physical vehicle testing, which is where we are at right now,” said Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Hummer EV. “That is going to become the norm for every program at GM.”
GM developed a prototype for the Hummer EV sport utility truck, or SUT, in about 18 months. While testing and validation continue, GM is expected to begin producing the Hummer EV next fall – roughly two and a half years after GM started working on the vehicle April 1, 2019.
