http://www.forbes.com/2004/08/20/cx_mf_082...utos_newsletter Also different are the options--which brings us to the subject of this review, the $34,200 Chevy Silverado LS1500 4WD Extended-Cab Hybrid. A mouthful, we know. But the Hybrid Silverado is one unique truck. Yep, it has a 5.3-liter V-8 engine with 295 horsepower and 330 pounds-feet of torque, but it also has an integrated electric starter/generator to fire up the engine, and this system is powerful enough to assist the steering and brakes when the motor is off. And the motor will be off--for instance, when you're just coasting, or when you've come to a stop. This is a hybrid system, just not like the ones we've been hearing about, such as Toyota's Prius and Honda's (nyse: HMC) Civic. Instead, this setup doesn't power the wheels; it just saves gasoline (about 10% better fuel economy can be expected) at times when you don't really need that V-8 sucking up fuel. So what? What's so special about a hybrid truck that doesn't get 40 miles per gallon (mpg)? Actually, quite a lot. This kind of system may in fact be used on every car in the future, whether or not the cars are hybrids. We'll explain why, and what is so special about the Chevy, on the following pages. Read Entire Article Here
Do we really need 5.3 liter portable generators? I read about the autostop/start in Popular Mechanics about 7-8 years ago and they predicted just as has happened here with Chev. 5-10% better corporate fuel mileage will allow them to make more that get 5-10% less and still be seen as doing "something". To bad they weren't doing more, like a"real" hybrid.
Yes, there is a large market segment who buy trucks because they use them for work - often this work requires the use of electrical power tools. My hope is that more electric lawn care equipment is used instead of the polluting gas portables.
Part of me things that Chevy is putting this "hybrid" out & throwing a premium on the price tag just to actually produce NEGATIVE publicity for hybrids. I can already see the "same car, $x,xxx more for only 10% more efficiency" negative articles. This takes the heat off of Chevy to produce more hybrids, because they're able to say, listen, our first attempt was taken very negatively by the public, so they obviously don't want other hybrid cars. All the while, the hybrid Tundra is going to dominate the market in 2007. Quote me.
Frankly, I'd be surprised if they can get 10% just by shutting off the engine when the truck is coasting. I don't think an ICE uses that much idling. Wasn't the primary reason for engine shutoff in Honda and Toyota hybrids to minimize pollution? Slightly better overall mpg is a small bonus. While the 120V outlets are handy for those in need, the truck has to be idling to power them. So much for turning off the engine because it is the least efficient at idle. I have to believe that for $2,500 you can get an equally or more powerful portable generator that runs more efficiently. What are Prius drivers sacrificing by being full hybrid? Heck, that isn't OUR fault. Make them and we will buy!
Here's the fundamental problem of the silverado hypebrid. I can take my diesel truck, which gets 23mpg, and purchase a small portable diesel generator, run it on homebrew biodiesel, and come out ahead of this abomination to the hybrid market.
Wolfman- wouldn't you want the additional hours at idle on your expensive gas engine? C'mon, think of it from GMs point of view. We're finding a brilliant way to break into the vast untapped portable generator market.
That's where I'd put my money, too. (Though I'm curious to see where the Ford Escape will fall into this equation by 2007.)
Hehehe, I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't exactly what GM was ultimately thinking about. More planned obscelesence from the inventors of the concept. :mrgreen:
The R&D on those gas engines is long since paid for and profits are easy if they just keep making them. The oil industry won't be offended in the least by this gentle foray into hybridization. The general populous can be convinced that GM is doing something for the environment while giving buyers a convenience that no other manufacturer is offering. The 42 volt system is something that they already had to develop in order to keep up with the increased demands that are being placed on our electrical systems. Most of their customer base will view this as GM responding to their needs. Most people buying new cars are not all that concerned about fuel costs or the future energy crisis. For GM, there is all upside and no downside to this product development. It seems simply absurd to me but I am a long way from the mainstream American viewpoint on these issues. As a nation, I fear we are continuing on a self-distructive path that is nurtured by stock market dynamics(quarterly shareholders reports guide strategic planning) and the limits of our democracy(election cycles prevent leaders from making decisions that cause short term sacrifice for long term gain). I can't offer a better system than democracy. I think that the same human nature that served us so well during our colonization of the planet is now a hindrance that can only be overcome by adaptation. We will change our motives and values once the pain of our self-made reality becomes great enough. The pain is not felt equally within our society, so I think the change will include a paradigm shift in our form of self-governance(revolution). I will not live long enough to know the truth of my thoughts, but that's just as well. Whoa, did I ever get off topic. I am going to submit it anyway. I love to hear myself ramble on. Ray
In my profession (computer programmer), I have a ton of experience in the area of technology advancement. The problem has always boiled down to how fast the change should come, not whether it should happen. All along, I've struggled with those that feel small steps are the best approach. Rarely do we have the resources (time & money) to do that. And of course, the users are usually not willing to endure too many upgrades, they end up asking for a large step. So my job has been to find the best way to introduce as much as realistically possible as quickly as realistically as possible... because eventually, we get stuck using what we develop for a lot longer than we ever anticipated. I've witnessed that upgrade cycle quite a few times throughout my career. The auto industry is known for getting stuck in ruts and taking forever to introduce change. It is a pretty safe bet to expect them to have issues with the way they develop hybrids. We have already dealt with them having a different "advancement" priority at each auto-show premiere over the past few years. So it is clear that they can't even decide what to do. Nor can they predict consumer demand, due to the continuous climb in oil prices. Change is necessary, plain & simple. The computer industry suffers all the time from new products that deliver "too little, too late". Do we really want consumers to be victims of that? No! We need to make sure they are well aware of what they are actually paying for as well as what else is or could be available. Telling them about what Prius offers is how we are going to do that. In other words, the auto industry no longer gets to tell us what we want. Now, we finally get to tell them.
