GMC's forthcoming pure-electric Hummer is, in many ways, a vehicle for the future, but it will harken back to the original Hummer H1 in at least one very important way: a fully independent suspension setup.

Few photos were allowed out of GM's special "EV Day" presentation to investors, dealers, and members of the press on Wednesday, at which the automaker touted its ambitious electric vehicle plans, but of the small number that were published, one exposes some key details about the 2022 GMC Hummer's future chassis. Namely, it will have a fully independent suspension with available air springs.

And really, that's almost common sense. Standard packaging rules don't strictly apply when you're talking about small electric drive motors that can easily be mounted underneath the vehicle, especially given that more often than not, just a single-speed reduction gear is deployed between the motor and the driven wheel(s).

Moreover, you'll recall that GM's new range of redesigned full-size SUVs - vehicles like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban - have been able to lower their floors thanks to a new independent rear suspension design taking over from their tired old live-rear-axle setup. That more compact vertical packaging might just be all but essential in an electric utility vehicle, where the floor is tasked with housing hundreds or thousands of pounds of battery.

Granted, it's most essential in the top-performing version of the future GMC Hummer, which will employ an all-wheel-drive system powered by one front motor feeding into a conventional differential, and two rear motors, each driving one rear wheel apiece.

As for the Hummer's other powertrain options, we can look forward to a more basic AWD configuration with two motors total - one front, and one rear - as well as a RWD configuration with a single rear-mounted motor. And the air springs shown in GM's published photos from the event? Most likely, those will be extra-cost optional equipment, for buyers who demand more smoothness and adjustability than steel coil springs can offer, but it's possible they could come standard.

Unfortunately, there's little chance we'll learn the answer to that particular question when GM reveals the forthcoming Hummer EV on May 20th.