I know there will be headaches until the technology is fine-tuned, but we have to start somewhere. I will be in the market for a new truck in '06, and this just might be the one. The mileage isn't a big , if any, improvement, but the emissions reduction and the possibilities for camping, working on the property, working on the quad at the campground...
Full story here-
http://www.forbesautos.com/reviews/2005/chevrolet/silverado/testdrive_2.htmlTest Drive
2005 Chevy Silverado LS1500 4WD Extended-Cab Hybrid
Chevy introduces a hybrid version of its popular pickup that will appeal to both conservatives and conservationists.
by Michael Frank
From the Driver's Seat
Most modern cars don't pollute very much at all when they're at speed. It's when they're idle that they're most inefficient, and therefore, at their worst environmentally -- which is a real problem, since, as we all know from our daily commutes, sitting in traffic is a way of life in the U.S. Still, what exactly can you do about it?
GM's system, actually, is a really good solution, especially if you're not quite ready to give up a good old American V-8. The way this setup works is rather elegant: A regenerative braking system captures the energy of the moving truck (same as with Toyota's Prius) and powers a set of batteries that reside in the floor of the cabin. Then an electro-hydraulic system starts the truck (no starter is needed), runs the A/C and other in-vehicle systems and allows these systems to operate while you are idling in traffic, or simply at a stoplight. Touch the gas, or remove your foot from the brake and the V-8 reawakens, and off you go, just like in Chevy's stock Silverado.
What's especially cool, though, isn't just that all your pals at the Earth First! Confab will give you high fives. (Okay, that's not going to happen because this truck still only gets 17 mpg city/ 19 mpg highway.) It's the fact that this truck doesn't burn as much gas as a stock Silverado. The difference isn't that great, though: the regular 4WD version gets 15 miles per gallon in the city and 18 on the highway. Still, when gas costs 40% more than it did last year, every little bit helps.
But what we dig even more is that with the optional $2,500 hybrid system, you get four 120-volt, 20-amp outlets (two in the bed, two in the cab) so you have ready access to power at any remote location. That electricity can be immensely handy if you're renovating an outbuilding on your property, as this writer is, and the nearest electricity is 200 feet away. Just plug the table saw right into the bed of the Silverado and get to work. Headed to the beach? Bring a mini-fridge in the bed of the truck and keep the beer cold. I don't need to go on in this vein; you can envision all sorts of scenarios when portable electricity would be exceptionally handy.
In fact, GM has dispatched 50 of the Silverado Hybrids to the hardest-hit parts of Florida in the wake of Hurricane Charley. They will be used by emergency service crews to run electric chainsaws, but also to power refrigerators and air-conditioners. Pull up in a Silverado Hybrid, throw it in park, hit a button and
you can remove the key and lock the truck up but it will continue to run for up to 32 hours as a power station, allowing anybody who needs to -- like members of a work crew -- to plug in as required. We're excited about this feature, and we think it's probably the way a lot of vehicles will work in the future.
How come? Because GM's Silverado uses the electrical system of the future: a 42-volt, rather than 12-volt, power structure. Not only is the 42-volt system far more robust, but it can work seamlessly with this form of hybrid setup. And 42-volt systems are coming to almost every carmaker.
Also, since the battery packs in the Silverado Hybrid don't take up a ton of space -- they don't have to run a large electric motor -- equipping other vehicles with what the Silverado has wouldn't be that difficult. This also means that any large carmaker -- say GM -- looking to up their corporate average fuel economy by 10% in a hurry could do so rather quickly. If all the trucks and truck-based SUVs sold each year had this setup (roughly 6 million vehicles), the U.S. would save millions of gallons of gasoline. Sure, on an individual vehicle basis, what the Silverado accomplishes is not as impressive as what you get with a hybrid Prius, but not that many Priuses are sold per year.
As for driving the LS1500, like we said, it's just like driving the stock Silverado. This isn't as slick as the Nissan Titan, or as quick, but as trucks go, the Silverado falls somewhere on the scale between the smooth, quiet Toyota Tundra and the more manly Ford F-150.
Should You Buy This Car?
Like we said, the Silverado is giving us a look at the hybrid in all of our futures. It's a light hybrid, one that doesn't ask you to sacrifice at all, that returns somewhat better fuel economy, and as a bonus, lets you work with electric tools in the back 40 -- or fire up the wide-screen for the tailgate party.
Unfortunately, this truck won't be available nationwide until the middle of next year. For now, it's being sold to the public only in Oregon, California and Washington (fleet sales are more widespread.) But we still believe the Silverado Hybrid setup could be a bellwether for much more because it's a simple option, one a lot of buyers would go for if it were available to them.
Still, we congratulate GM for going at hybrids this way. It's something even skeptical buyers might consider, and that means the hurdle for all hybrid sales -- whether full-fledged or not -- will get lower. When hybrids are as "normal" as the Silverado, and as easy to live with, then we'll forget about the hybrid technology altogether. We'll just enjoy superior mileage and less pollution. And in the end isn't that what everyone -- Greens, Republicans, Hippies, First Adopters -- wants?
Specs
Suspension Type: Independent torsion bar, 32-mm stabilizer bar; Rear: solid axle with semi-elliptic, variable-rate, two-stage, multi-leaf springs, gas-pressurized shocks
Acceleration: NA
Engine Type: OHV, 16-valve, 5.3 liter V-8
Horsepower: 295 hp @ 5,200 rpm
Torque: 335 pounds-feet @ 4,000 rpm
EPA Mileage: 17 mpg city, 19 highway
