Why no hybrid trucks yet?

[jazclrint]

Brand new to the forum. My wife and I are looking at getting an '09-'13 Chevy Silverado Hybrid. So I'm digging around the internet, and I ran across this thread.

The history on GM hybrid pickups and SUVs is interesting.
'04-'05 mild-hybrid Silverados that they later bought back from customers.
'08-'13 Yukon/Tahoe/Escalade hybrid SUVs
'09-13 Sierra/Silverado full hybrid pickup w/a 1.9kWhr NiMH pack 25%ish mpg improvement
'17 Cali only, and '18 US-wide Silverado hybrid with a 0.5kWhr Li-Ion pack and only 13% improvement on mpg. 1/2 as efficient but 2/3 the cost.
Compare that to the current F-150 that is a 1.5kWhr Li-Ion pack, and only adds about 30hp and 20% mpg efficiency to the base motor.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

The smaller engine could then be transverse mounted making the truck front wheel drive, with the electric motor(s) powering the rear. No more drive line. Brakes would need less maintenance as the regen does most of the stopping.

Just look at what Volvo does with its XC90 which has roughly the size of a Tahoe. On a sidenote, it also has a pancake motor between the ICE and transmission.

Our first hybrids should have been trucks, but instead we got the smallest cars. How did that happen?

Blame it on a lack of incentives for fleets to go hybrid back in the day. IIRC there were hybrid buses in the '90s even in my country, but it didn't succeed due to a lack of incentives too.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by jazclrint

Brand new to the forum. My wife and I are looking at getting an '09-'13 Chevy Silverado Hybrid. So I'm digging around the internet, and I ran across this thread.

The history on GM hybrid pickups and SUVs is interesting.
'04-'05 mild-hybrid Silverados that they later bought back from customers.
'08-'13 Yukon/Tahoe/Escalade hybrid SUVs
'09-13 Sierra/Silverado full hybrid pickup w/a 1.9kWhr NiMH pack 25%ish mpg improvement
'17 Cali only, and '18 US-wide Silverado hybrid with a 0.5kWhr Li-Ion pack and only 13% improvement on mpg. 1/2 as efficient but 2/3 the cost.
Compare that to the current F-150 that is a 1.5kWhr Li-Ion pack, and only adds about 30hp and 20% mpg efficiency to the base motor.

The '09-13 Sierra hybrids were a solid improvement on the standards version. I think the biggest issue was many people look at highway ratings and say "why should I get a hybrid to only save 2 mpg" - not thinking that 2 mpg is 10% and city improvement was 33%.

It was a $3,000 - $4,000 option with a $2200 federal tax credit. That is less than a 5 year payback even with $2.50 a gallon gas so the hybrid should have been a simple choice.

I wish they had made a hybrid version of the Chevy Express.

[S Keith]

Originally Posted by jazclrint

Brand new to the forum. My wife and I are looking at getting an '09-'13 Chevy Silverado Hybrid. So I'm digging around the internet, and I ran across this thread.

The history on GM hybrid pickups and SUVs is interesting.
'04-'05 mild-hybrid Silverados that they later bought back from customers.
'08-'13 Yukon/Tahoe/Escalade hybrid SUVs
'09-13 Sierra/Silverado full hybrid pickup w/a 1.9kWhr NiMH pack 25%ish mpg improvement
'17 Cali only, and '18 US-wide Silverado hybrid with a 0.5kWhr Li-Ion pack and only 13% improvement on mpg. 1/2 as efficient but 2/3 the cost.
Compare that to the current F-150 that is a 1.5kWhr Li-Ion pack, and only adds about 30hp and 20% mpg efficiency to the base motor.

Hard pass on all 2013 and earlier GM hybrid trucks. Horrible battery life, and other common/expensive problems. They have horrible battery management, and few dealerships have any competency with them.

If you insist, budget $5K for repairs.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by S Keith

Hard pass on all 2013 and earlier GM hybrid trucks. Horrible battery life, and other common/expensive problems. They have horrible battery management, and few dealerships have any competency with them.

If you insist, budget $5K for repairs.

They really get bank for those things

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...7913/overview/

Not that long ago the hybrid could be half the price used compared to a “standard “ model

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

The '09-13 Sierra hybrids were a solid improvement on the standards version. I think the biggest issue was many people look at highway ratings and say "why should I get a hybrid to only save 2 mpg" - not thinking that 2 mpg is 10% and city improvement was 33%.

I remember both the Silverado and Tahoe were available only as a hybrid in Ecuador by then, as there were no displacement limits for hybrid vehicles to benefit from lower import duties there. When it comes to the fuel savings, even though they may seem negligible at a first glance while looking only at the extra MPG instead of considering the percentage too, I remember seeing claims that a hybrid Tahoe could get better city MPG than a non-hybrid Camry.

I wish they had made a hybrid version of the Chevy Express.

Considering the hybrid setup had been offered only for the Silverado and Sierra 1500, in contrast to the 2500 and 3500 having the Diesel option available (and IIRC the Express followed the same approach), seems like the idea about Diesels and hybrids being inherently opposite to each other was already too consolidated on the customers' mindset. OTOH for vans, as their buyers are usually more job-oriented than for trucks, they were supposed to justify it easier. On a sidenote, for users of conversion vans, presumably the hybrid approach could also be reasonable to use the auxiliary electric power to drive accessories just like those electric APUs now fitted to some big rigs.

[oil pan 4]

There were hybrid Chevy SUVs. GM may still offer them in premium packages. At that point thr hybrid badge is just a status symbol.

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by S Keith

Hard pass on all 2013 and earlier GM hybrid trucks. Horrible battery life, and other common/expensive problems. They have horrible battery management, and few dealerships have any competency with them.

If you insist, budget $5K for repairs.

Do you have first hand experience? We have a 2012 and haven't had any issues with it the last 40k+miles we've had it. Anything I should be looking out for? I believe these use Toyota Prius battery NiMH cells.

[aerohead]

Ford's F-150 hybrid is currently on sale. Killer torque. Tasty mpgs. Four- kilowatts of power available at camping or worksite. It's a 'real' hybrid.

[redpoint5]

Debuting in the refreshed-for-2021 F-150, the PowerBoost hybrid pairs Ford's twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 with a 47-hp electric motor, making this the highest-output powertrain in the current F-150 lineup. The motor is sandwiched between the engine and the stand*ard 10-speed automatic, while a 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery tucks under the bed. The battery may seem a bit small for a vehicle of this size, but Ford chose it because it's easy to package and less costly than larger packs, and its weight won't considerably impact the all-important towing and payload capacities. Combined output for this powertrain is a stout 430 horses and 570 pound-feet of torque—gains of 30 ponies and 70 pound-feet versus the updated nonhybrid EcoBoost 3.5-liter.

At 5794 pounds, our four-wheel-drive Lariat weighed 200 pounds more than the last F-150 Limited we reviewed, yet its solid 5.4-second run to 60 mph means it's fleeter than most half-ton trucks... the max payload and towing capacities for the hybrid are impressive, at 2120 and 12,700 pounds, respectively.

The motor isn't designed to provide meaningful acceleration on its own, but it does allow for short periods of electric cruising at low speeds. Transitions from gas to electric power are almost imperceptible, as is the changeover from regenerative to friction braking. The hybrid scores 24 mpg on the EPA's combined cycle, 4 mpg more than a regular EcoBoost 3.5 F-150 manages.

The hybrid option can be had on any F-150 crew cab for a somewhat reasonable $2500 to $4495, depending on the trim level. That equates to base prices of $42,840 to $77,845.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...y-the-numbers/

Getting closer to what I envision, but I want to see something like a series hybrid with a small 4 cylinder engine and no transmission.