You’re about to watch a drag race between two of the most ridiculous 4×4 America has ever made… and an AMG. We’re talking about the Dodge Durango Hellcat and the 2022 Hummer EV. One has a supercharged V8 and the other makes 1000 electric horsepower, weighs 9,000 pounds, and is as environmentally friendly as a Chevy Malibu. Yeah, it’s about to get crazy!
A decade ago, the Mercedes-AMG G63 was the definition of a gas guzzler, but it’s so normal compared to the other two that we don’t feel like talking about it. Some people did the math and found the Hummer EV emits 341 grams of carbon dioxide to travel a mile, about three times as much as a Chevy Bolt.
That might be true, but the Bolt won’t hit 60 miles per hour in about 3.0 seconds. The Hummer EV pickup has such crazy specs that everybody wants one. While prices are supposed to start from about $110,000, we’ve seen them marked up to over $250,000.
The Dodge Durango Hellcat was also a markup king, since it’s a limited-production combination of the Durango SUV and a Hellcat motor. With 710 horsepower at its disposal, it was the most powerful vehicle of its kind at the time of release. But can it keep up with an EV that makes 300 more?
Of course it can! The guys at Throttle House lined up these three absurd vehicles on a runway in Canada for some quarter-mile shenanigans. And the results were similar to what we’ve seen in other Hummer EV drag races.
The Durango shoots off the line and secures an early lead with the G63 trailing despite only being rated at 577 hp and lacking launch control. The Hummer quickly begins to catch up and almost catches up to the Durango. However, moments before the finish line, the GMC pickup runs out of steam.
You see, for safety reasons, the Hummer EV’s top speed is electronically limited to 106 miles per hour. Why? Well, as we’ve mentioned, this thing is very heavy. The batteries alone weigh as much as a car. Car and Driver found that slowing the behemoth down from 70 mph takes 211 feet and reported brake fade after repeated attempts. So while it accelerates like a Corvette, it slows down like a house.
The other reason for the top speed are the Goodyear Wrangler tires are R-rated, which means they are good for up to 106 mph.
It’s important to note that the Hummer EV would be much slower without the Watts to Freedom Mode activated. Initiating this causes the seats to vibrate and hunkers down the suspensions like… a cheetah. The mode below that is called Adrenaline and is like a Sport+, giving you a 0 to 60 time of around 4 seconds.
