2009 Silverado Hybrid - Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid Pickup - Chevy Trucks - GMC Fuel Efficient

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2009 Silverado Hybrid - Chevrolet Pickup Truck

The 2009 Silverado is the second full-size fuel-efficient pickup from General Motors Corp. While the previous Chevrolet Silverado trucks offered as a mild hybrid solution, mostly professionals who found it useful as a power generator at work sites, the 2009 Chevy Silverado features GM's sophisticated electric system. It offers a broader range of technical advances with a 2-Mode system.

The full-size pickup achieves 40 percent greater city fuel economy. GM also improved its overall fuel economy by 25 percent. The Silverado Hybrid has been named the most fuel-efficient truck on the market by GM.

The 2-Mode Hybrid system works with a powerful 6.0L V-8 gasoline engine. The system provides all-electric driving at low speeds. The Chevy pickup has a towing capacity of 6,100 pounds, even when the truck is in its low-speed mode.

Chevy Silverado Electric System Details

The Silverado hybrid system is derived from GM's advanced Electrically Variable Transmission (EVT) and 300-volt nickel-metal hydride Energy Storage System (ESS), which share the standard 6.0L V-8 Gen IV gasoline engine. The engine features the Active Fuel Management (AFM) and late intake valve closing (LIVC) technology.The electric battery system will run the Chevy pickup solely on electricity at speeds up to 30 mph.

The electric power used to propel the vehicle is generated by the electric system itself. When the brakes are applied, the electric motors create electricity from its 300-volt battery. This stored energy is used to move the vehicle until the braking cycle is renewed.

One other nice feature is that the 2-Mode Hybrid system is completely seamless. The Silverado its electric motor is less than half the size of those in single-mode systems. GM developed this technology and is still used in fleets of hybrid transit buses in more than 70 North American and European cities.

The Silverado pickup has a 26-gallon fuel tank and offers a driving range of more than 500 miles. The battery pack is located in the chassis beneath the rear seat. The list of other features include:

• New exhaust system and resonator tuned for the 6.0L engine's Active Fuel Management operation


• Additional engine intake induction tuning for reduced interior noise and pleasing sound quality


• Low-rolling resistance, "quiet-tuned" P265/65R18 tires for reduced road noise


• Electrically driven 300-volt air conditioning compressor reduces vibration and allows the HVAC system to cool the passenger compartment even when the gasoline engine is shut off. It includes the standard tri-zone HVAC system


• Electrically driven 42-volt variable-assist power steering reduces vibration and provides up to a 0.5-mpg fuel economy improvement by reducing parasitic losses common in belt-driven hydraulic systems


• Energy Storage System (ESS) cooling system internal fan is tuned to be quiet at low vehicle speeds when the fan could more easily be heard by the occupants