If you were around in 1986, you might have enjoyed the craze that started with the Bangles telling us to “Walk Like an Egyptian.” As much fun as that song and craze was, today, you can find a lot more fun in the outdoors when you drive the GMC Hummer EV and let it show you how the Crab Walk mode works in this electric truck.

Make your way around obstacles on the trails with the GMC Hummer EV

GMC makes the Hummer EV into one of the most capable and impressive new trucks in the market.  This big electric truck seems like it would be tough to drive outdoors, but there’s a special feature that makes it much easier for you to get around obstacles in your path.  This feature addresses one of the greatest challenges you’ll face in the outdoors; the ability to move laterally when needed.  This is what the Crab Walk Mode addresses for this impressive truck.

How does Crab Walk work for the GMC Hummer EV?

Imagine the way a crab walks on the beach; they move sideways across the sand, often with their large pincher claws pointed at you in a menacing fashion.  It would be pretty cool if the Hummer EV could turn the wheels ninety degrees and move completely sideways, but that’s not realistic.  Instead, the Crab Walk Mode of this vehicle allows all four wheels to turn together, with the rear wheels turning up to 10 degrees, allowing the vehicle to move at an unexpected angle. 

The rear wheels will turn either in phase or out of phase with the front wheels, depending on what you need. At low speeds, the rear wheels move in the opposite direction, which allows for tighter turning and maneuvering.  This feature enables you to move around a large rock face without trying to fit this big truck through a tight pathway.

When you drive at higher speeds, such as during highway driving, the rear wheels will turn in the same direction as the front wheels, which gives you more stable lane changes and smoother pathways through curves that you’ll be faced with.

The tech isn’t new to GM, just the application

If we look back a decade, we see that GM offered trucks and SUVs that had a feature similar to the Crab Walk mode.  This feature was called Quadrasteer, and it was a four-wheel steering system.  Today, this feature is also used on many sports cars to improve performance and handling on the track.

This feature was offered by GM several years ago. Its use of it in the GMC Hummer EV is the most dynamic application.  With the Crab Walk mode, you won’t feel like you’ve got a massive Hummer out on the trails. Instead, it feels like you have a much more agile and maneuverable vehicle. You’ll move around on trails where smaller vehicles typically spend their time.

How does the Hummer EV know which way to turn the rear wheels?

This is where the Crab Walk Mode comes into play.  This feature of the Hummer overrides the default turning set up for lower speeds and turns all four wheels in the same direction.  This override will allow the vehicle to drive diagonally to maneuver around an obstacle in the path.  With this feature, you won’t have to make a multipoint turn or spend an hour rocking back and forth. You can move around obstacles easily.

The new way to walk is to do the Crab Walk, which can only happen if you have the GMC Hummer EV.  This vehicle is an electric truck and an amazing off-road vehicle. You can crawl along and walk like a crab through the canyon, over the trails, and around the obstacles in the pathway to your favorite outdoor location.

Next, check out three reasons an electric truck is better than a diesel pickup, or watch the GMC Hummer EV truck in the video below:

This article was updated on 8/14/2022.