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It's time to acknowledge your fear that gasoline prices will continue to escalate. An average family driving two vehicles now spends about $1,000 more per year in fuel than it did only two years ago. And while the prospects of even higher fuel cost to a family budget is stressful, small businesses relying on pickups for transportation view rising fuel expenses as potentially fatal. General Motors comes to the rescue, be it ever so timidly, with a mild hybrid version of the popular Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. Now available on the West coast, Kansas City will soon have access to this fuel saving pickup. Unlike the prototype electric cars that had to be plugged in or solar powered cars that simply didn't work, hybrid technology combines electric motors to assist the internal combustion engine. Batteries are constantly being recharged harnessing the energy of braking momentum thereby eliminating the need to ever plug in the vehicle. The technology can be as simple as the Chevrolet Silverado or part of a very complex environment developed for the Toyota Prius. General Motor's application of hybrid technology in the full size pickup line is welcome because it is the vehicle of greatest need. "GM' Strategy is to go after the highest fuel consuming vehicles first" said Thomas G. Stephens, group Vice President, GM Powertrain. Squeezing a few more miles per gallon out of a Honda Civic might be a noble goal but the owner of a full size four-wheel drive pickup really has the greater need for increased fuel economy. With trucks and sport utility vehicles now making up over 50% of new vehicle sales, increasing fuel economy of a full size pickup will make the greatest impact on the environment. The mild hybrid technology used by General Motors is relatively simple and inexpensive choosing to gain fuel economy from silencing the gasoline motor at idle rather than actually assisting the gasoline engine. Many expect better fuel savings than the rather modest two miles per gallon goal of the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, but this is not a full hybrid vehicle exploiting the inherent torque advantages of the electric motor. Aside from the engine dying at every stoplight, the operation is just like driving the normal 5300 V8 engine. It takes some getting used to when the engine comes to a complete silent stop and oil-pressure gauges drop to zero, but everything revives when the brake pedal is released and motion is continued. If stopped on an uphill incline sometimes the truck rolls back slightly before the motor catches. The 2005 Silverado Hybrid has all of the advantages, power and performance that we have come to expect from Chevrolet. Adding hybrid technology is really like a $2,500 option except that the IRS may allow a $1,500 Clean Fuel Vehicle Tax Credit. While significant savings can accumulate over the next 100,000 miles, this mild hybrid application produces only a 10% improvement in fuel economy. Becoming a mobile power-generating station is a really cool advantage of the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid. Producing 2,400 watts of 120-volt power to four available ground fault protected outlets lets you provide AC power for up to 32 hours. If you are tailgating at the Chiefs Game, you can run a blender, television, microwave, refrigerator and video game with power to spare. The remodeling contractor could power circular saws, sanders, drills or electric chain saws all without the need for an auxiliary generator. In the end, I wouldn't buy the General Motors Hybrid simply for the expected increase in fuel economy alone. But when you consider the fuel savings, tax incentatives, additional 120-volt power outlets and the support for emerging environmental technology, the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid is a good and green decision.
2005 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid
MSRP as driven $39,593 EPA rating 17/19 Additional Web only Information and Resources For Additional Reviews: |
©2003 - Stan Risener