R-34
11-05-2003, 08:15 PM
General Motors Corp.'s first hybrid vehicle isn't anything like the Toyota Prius or hybrid version of the Honda Civic. It's a truck. A full-sized pickup. And it's being built at the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant.
The first Flex Power models of the Chevrolet Silverado Fleetside and GMC Sierra Wideside were built last week at the plant. After the pilot run, production will be suspended while the process and results are studied, said Gerry King, plant spokesman. Another production run will be done in December. Then, in January, regular production is slated to begin, he said.
From the outside, the trucks look just like any other Silverado or Sierra pickup. It's what's under the hood that counts.
These 2-ton trucks won't be getting 40 or 50 miles per gallon. But they are expected to average up to 18 miles per gallon for city driving, compared with 16 mpg for a conventional truck. Highway mileage is pegged 23.5 mpg, compared with 21 mpg on a conventional truck.
While hybrid cars use electric motors at low speeds, the electric motor starts the engine in the GM hybrid trucks, both when the pickup is initially turned on and at every stop. Fuel savings come from not having the engine idle.
A direct drive electric motor, without any gears, starts the engine, replacing a conventional starter motor and alternator.
The starter generator smooths out any driveline surges; generates electrical current to charge batteries and run auxiliary power outlets; and provides coast-down regenerative braking to aid fuel economy.
GM will sell its first hybrid pickups to fleet customers, with the first models arriving in showrooms as 2005 models. The company is not giving any production estimates, citing competitive concerns.
The first Flex Power models of the Chevrolet Silverado Fleetside and GMC Sierra Wideside were built last week at the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant. Courtesy General Motors Corp.
(c) 2003, The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Ind.
The first Flex Power models of the Chevrolet Silverado Fleetside and GMC Sierra Wideside were built last week at the plant. After the pilot run, production will be suspended while the process and results are studied, said Gerry King, plant spokesman. Another production run will be done in December. Then, in January, regular production is slated to begin, he said.
From the outside, the trucks look just like any other Silverado or Sierra pickup. It's what's under the hood that counts.
These 2-ton trucks won't be getting 40 or 50 miles per gallon. But they are expected to average up to 18 miles per gallon for city driving, compared with 16 mpg for a conventional truck. Highway mileage is pegged 23.5 mpg, compared with 21 mpg on a conventional truck.
While hybrid cars use electric motors at low speeds, the electric motor starts the engine in the GM hybrid trucks, both when the pickup is initially turned on and at every stop. Fuel savings come from not having the engine idle.
A direct drive electric motor, without any gears, starts the engine, replacing a conventional starter motor and alternator.
The starter generator smooths out any driveline surges; generates electrical current to charge batteries and run auxiliary power outlets; and provides coast-down regenerative braking to aid fuel economy.
GM will sell its first hybrid pickups to fleet customers, with the first models arriving in showrooms as 2005 models. The company is not giving any production estimates, citing competitive concerns.
The first Flex Power models of the Chevrolet Silverado Fleetside and GMC Sierra Wideside were built last week at the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant. Courtesy General Motors Corp.
(c) 2003, The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Ind.