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Originally Posted by redpoint5
I've always said the industry started at the wrong end of the automotive segment to build hybrids. It started with the Honda Insight, which was the smallest and lightest 2-seater coupe they offered. Many on here are getting the same fuel economy without the electric motor because it's built efficiently to begin with. The return on expense for all the electric bits is infinite on a vehicle like that.
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Maybe if it had gone more radical into engine downsizing in order to benefit more from the IMA, it could eventually provide a better ROI for its buyers.
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On the other hand, trucks have a huge amount of weight where recovering momentum back into a battery is more useful. It reduces fuel consumption, reduces brake wear, and allows a downsized engine to be used. Payback on the electrics would be much faster with an F150 since the fuel and maintenance savings are so much greater.
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Even though I wouldn't hold my breath for the average Joe to embrace the hybrid truck bandwagon so quickly, it would undeniably become a sensible option for business operators and fleet managers. On a sidenote, when GM released hybrid versions for the Silverado and Sierra 1500 and for the Tahoe, Escalade and Yukon it did surprise me they retained a V8 instead of using the Vortec 4300 which used to be standard in the Silverado and Sierra 1500.