I Leased a Hummer EV Because I Always Wanted an H2, Seven Months Later, It's the Only Car Out of 80 I've Owned That Gives Me Anxiety Every Single Day

The GMC Hummer EV is a 9,000-pound electric colossus that looks less like a truck and more like it was engineered to patrol the surface of Mars. With four-wheel steering, 1,000 horsepower, and party tricks like CrabWalk mode, it’s the loudest whisper the off-road world has ever heard. But like any bold leap into the future, this one doesn’t land without a jolt. The disruption doesn’t come from the vehicle itself, but from the world it's been unleashed into.

Let’s start with a reality check from someone who dove headfirst into this brave new world. In a Facebook post that reads like the diary of a man caught between evolution and anxiety, Ryan Stewman writes:

“Why the Hummer EV is most likely the worst idea and worst vehicle GM has ever made.

In December of last year, I leased a brand-new Hummer EV. I always wanted an H2, and this was the closest thing out there to it. On top of that, GM offered some crazy leasing incentives. Which I should have viewed as a red flag.

I have never owned an EV before, so I thought I'd try my luck with this large SUV. Thank God I own other vehicles that take real fuel like gas and diesel. When you buy the Hummer, it says it will get 300 miles to a complete (80%) charge.

When you drive the Hummer, you see the dash eat about 3 miles off the counter for every half mile you drive. I was once driving and from the time I saw an exit sign that said ½ mile, to the time I crossed the exit, I had lost 4 miles off my range.

I don’t know who calibrated these Hummers, but they must have been using kilometers, not miles. This means if you have to drive anywhere over 100 miles, you will have to stop and recharge.

Don’t get me started on recharging…If you plug the Hummer into a 110 V it adds 2 miles per hour of charging. It takes a week to get to 80%.

If you plug the Hummer into 220 V, it charges 8 miles an hour and still takes 24 hours to fully charge. This means if you need to drive over 100 miles, you have to charge for 24 hours minimum.

Well, I forgot to charge my Hummer last weekend, so it was down to 100 miles, which means like 20. So I drove to the EV charging station this morning. The app that works with the charging station is broken on iPhone. So I cannot get power.

If I want power from my house, I can charge for 3 hours and maybe drive 20 minutes, haha. If I were not fortunate enough to own other vehicles that take real fuel, and take 3 minutes to fill up and get 300-400 real miles per tank, I would be stuck at home for 24 hours.

The Hummers look and drive awesome, but being able to drive it is not as easy as just being able to look at it.

For the first time in my entire life, owning over 80 cars, this is the first one that gives me anxiety 100% of the time.

Will it get me where I need to go? Are there chargers? How long do I have to charge it? Will the technology even work to fill it up? How many miles can I really drive? To sum it up, I regret this car. This is the only vehicle that I have ever owned that I regret. There’s a reason GM is doing 0% financing with $1,000 back of the invoice to liquidate these models.

Don’t get one 1-star. On the flip side, I have had an F-250 since 2019 and it has never once given me a single issue, a drop of anxiety, or left me stranded at the pump."
 

Ryan’s experience underscores a truth many new EV owners face: range anxiety. As Jason Harrell shared in the comments, “that anxiety is real...having to plan your days around charging stations.” The Hummer EV doesn’t make the transition easy. Its sheer size and hunger make it less forgiving than smaller, more efficiency-minded EVs. 

U.S. EV Adoption Surge: Registrations, Market Penetration & Consumer Intent

• U.S. EV registrations surged from about 280,000 in 2016 to 2.4 million in 2022, a 68% jump from 2021‑2022, while market penetration rose from around 1.8% in 2020 to over 7% by 2023
• Adoption has been fuelled by high gas prices, climate awareness, federal/state incentives, and tech improvements, but remains slowed by vehicle cost, “range anxiety,” and uneven charging infrastructure
• Charging networks are growing, yet gaps persist, particularly in rural and underserved areas, and utilities are adapting grids through smart-charging, vehicle-to-grid schemes, and time-of-use pricing to handle rising load
• Nearly half of U.S. consumers are considering EVs within two years; studies predict most current skeptics will begin considering EVs by the late 2020s or early 2030s, aligning with projected EV sales hitting 30% by 2030 and 60% by 2040

Still, it would be a mistake to throw the Hummer EV under the same bus it could effortlessly tow uphill. On a purely engineering level, this is a remarkable machine. From its adaptive air suspension to the Watts to Freedom (WTF) launch mode, it’s a truck that can go toe-to-toe with muscle cars and then crawl through terrain like a goat on Red Bull. 

As Frankie Hart noted, Tesla owners don’t seem to suffer the same headaches, not because their cars are inherently better, but because Tesla built the entire experience from charger to dashboard. Legacy automakers are still playing catch-up, and when your truck weighs as much as a giraffe on a Segway, that game of catch-up matters more.

Navigating Hummer EV Charging: Speeds, Home Installations & App Challenges

And then there’s charging, the part of the EV ownership journey that makes or breaks the experience. Zachary Zimmerman noted, “An 80 amp 240 V will charge a Hummer much more quickly.” That’s good news, if you have the means and knowledge to install such a system. But most people, especially first-time EV owners like Stewman, aren’t electricians. 

When your only reliable option is a household 110V outlet adding 2 miles per hour, you’re not living the Jetsons dream, you’re stuck in slow motion. And when the charging app won’t work on your iPhone? That’s not an inconvenience. That’s stranded.

Why the Hummer EV Impresses: Performance, Design & Electric Legacy

Yet the Hummer EV is not a bad vehicle. Far from it. It’s a statement, both of where we are and where we’re going. It drives incredibly well, looks like a concept car escaped from a Marvel movie, and shows what’s possible when GM throws its full weight behind a vision. As Chris Caruso rightly said, 

“Chevrolet once had the best electric vehicle technology in the business… the Chevy Volt and Bolt are literal masterpieces.” 

The Hummer EV is a continuation of that lineage, just aimed at a different kind of buyer.

Engineering Highlights of the GMC Hummer EV: Platform, Design & Sound Innovations

• The Hummer EV rides on GM’s BT1 “skateboard” platform, powered by the modular Ultium battery and drive-unit system, integrated traction motors, inverters, and onboard charging in a single package, supporting flexible dual- or tri-motor AWD layouts and high-voltage efficiency
• Engineers leveraged extensive Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) tools for battery, drivetrain performance, and noise-vibration-harshness optimization, enabling a smooth ride and hushed cabin despite its heavy-duty off-road focus.
• Unique body support structures, like braced shock towers, dash-panel reinforcements, and removable roof elements, were developed to balance rigidity, e-trunk volume, and the Infinity Roof design, necessitating new tooling and logistics for oversized components
• To address the near-silent EV environment, GMC partnered with Bose to develop Electric Vehicle Sound Enhancement (EVSE), delivering dynamic interior sound cues tailored to driving modes and the dramatic “Watts to Freedom” launch sequence

There’s also something to be said for how far we’ve come. Twenty years ago, electric cars were glorified golf carts. Now we have supertrucks that make 1,200 lb-ft of torque and can summon torque vectoring on demand. The fact that we can even complain about slow apps and 20-hour charges is a sign of progress. This isn’t a failure of vision; it’s the growing pains of execution. The future is here. It just hasn’t ironed out its quirks yet.

He wanted the emotional echo of his old H2, but he ended up with a technological tour de force that demands more planning than he bargained for. His frustration is honest. But so is the achievement of this machine. 

Image Sources: GMC Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.