The 10 Coolest Easter Eggs on the 2022 GMC Hummer EV

The GMC Hummer EV isn’t the first electric vehicle from General Motors, but it's a new frontier for a brand name that was once best remembered for adorning a gas-guzzling slug. One thing hasn't changed: the Hummer remains too big to ignore. It’s huge, and it has an all-electric powertrain promising up to 1000 horsepower. In other words, the lineup of coming EV pickups just got burlier.

Knowing it's both big and a big deal, the designers took their time on even the smallest details to make their truck stand out. Here are a few Easter eggs that were baked in to catch your attention.

This function is actually pretty damn cool, and will even be somewhat useful to Hummer owners who have their truck plugged in for charging. Once the charging starts, a portion of the headlight transforms into a sequential charging marquee that shows your battery getting the juice it needs.

Astronomy fans won't need a telescope to find a familiar sight within the GMC Hummer EV’s speaker covers. Remember the moon, that giant lifeless gob of rock that is definitely not a planet? The Sea of Tranquillity is up there; it’s where Apollo 11 landed in 1969. That historic real estate is re-created here to illustrate a step toward the new frontier of automobiles powered by batteries instead of fossil fuels. There's even a little boot print like astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin famously left.

A closer look at one of the climate buttons on the GMC Hummer EV's infotainment screen will reveal the outline of the truck. We assume that when the SUV version launches later that button will change, but when you've got such a distinctive shape, flaunt it.

Want to know just how big the new GMC Hummer EV is? Designers had to add front and rear amber auxiliary lights to the truck. Why is that proof of size? It’s a federal requirement to have amber cab lights on vehicles at least 80 inches wide. That’s why you see them on heavy-duty trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado HD series. It's a safety feature that offers no real benefit to the driver in terms of illumination, but it does look cool.

GM's goal with the launch of this new off-road EV is to meet the corporate zero, zero, zero promise: GM has expressed hopes that one day the world will have zero congestion, zero emissions, and zero crashes. The GMC Hummer EV debuted GM's new Ultium battery-pack technology, which helps with at least the emission side of that. The Hummer EV will also be the first vehicle to roll out of Factory Zero, GM's new EV plant in Hamtramck, Michigan. Spot the subtle American flag? It's located behind the rear door.

The first two generations of Hummer were two totally different breeds. The H1, first sold in 1992, had a significant Desert Storm feel, while the H2 as well as the H3 later, were more like the War on Christmas. One thing every generation shares is a similar grille, although the new GMC Hummer EV lacks the round headlights of the earlier models The seven breaks across the Hummer EV's headlights match the same number of holes in the grille of every Hummer before it.

Remember Bob Seger singing "Like a Rock" while a Chevy Silverado 1500 coasts down a Midwestern dirt road? Or the Heartbeat of America campaign that was so popular that you can still buy the license plates from eBay for your IROC Camaro? Those marketing moments were pretty damn American, which is likely why GM recently patented Watts to Freedom and slapped the name on the new Hummer EV's fancy launch control mode. It does more than just put your butt further in the seat. The stereo makes funky EV sounds, and the gauge cluster animates with special graphics. We appreciate that the Hummer has a WTF mode.

This design is subtle, but if you look closely you can make out the shape of a smushed H in the headlights. Even though the GMC Hummer EV is new, it hasn’t forgotten its history. That design neatly recalls a time when there were 380 Hummer dealerships globally, frequently with a giant shiny H near the front door.

Just as Jeep puts tiny Jeep grilles in the headlights of a Wrangler or Compass, GMC has put the Hummer EV badging in the truck's taillights.

Maybe we're stretching this one a little bit, but doesn't the horn in the center of the GMC Hummer EV's steering wheel look like the letter H? Yeah, we think so, too.