Chevy Silverado Hybrid Pictures

Chevy Silverado Hybrid

The full-size American pickup is perhaps the most utilitarian vehicle on the market. Since most “lifestyle buyers” have left the segment—meaning fewer 110-pound soccer moms toting 60-pound kids in these 18-foot-long behemoths—the remaining truck buyers value functional capability above all else. While some treehuggers put fuel economy above all other considerations, many trades people, commercial users, farmers and ranchers absolutely require the capabilities of a pickup truck.

So General Motors made sure the first pickup trucks that use its Two-Mode Hybrid system would be nearly as capable as their non-hybrid brethren. The two-wheel drive (2WD) versions of the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid—and its twin toolbox, the GMC Sierra Hybrid—proudly trumpet the crucial stats for full-size pickups. They can tow up to 6,100 pounds, the bed can haul a little more than 1,400 pounds and still deliver 20 mpg (city) / 23 mpg (highway) with a combined rating of 21 mpg. Four-wheel drive (4WD) versions have the same fuel economy numbers but give up 200 pounds of towing capacity.

Chevy Silverado Hybrid

For 2011, Chevrolet continues to offer the Silverado Hybrid in just one body style, a four-door crew cab with a short box. There are two trim levels, 1HY and 2HY, and a choice of either two- or four-wheel drive. The only change is an upgrade to GM’s OnStar 9.0 telematics system that the automaker says provides improved voice recognition.

Hybrid Powertrain

It’s no surprise that the Silverado shares the same hybrid system found in the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade hybrid SUVs, since all are built on the same platform and feature the same drivetrains. The hybrid hardware combines a tweaked 6.0-liter 332-horsepower V-8 gasoline engine, a 300-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack and a two-mode hybrid transmission, referred to at GM as an electrically variable transmission (EVT).
If you’re not familiar with it, the EVT is a marvel in packaging. In the same space as the truck’s six-speed automatic transmission are two 60-kilowatt electric motor/generators, three planetary gearsets and four fixed gears.

Chevy Silverado Hybrid

In simple terms, the first mode is efficient at low speeds when the truck operates solely on electric power, or a combination of the electric motors and gasoline power. When the truck comes to a stop, the gas engine shuts off. Electricity for the battery pack is supplied by capturing energy that is normally wasted when the vehicle is decelerating or the brakes are applied.
Mode two operates at highway speeds. The motor/generators work with the planetary gearsets, so the EVT is capable of an infinite range of gear ratios just like a continuously variable transmission. CVTs are known for optimizing fuel economy, but can’t handle heavy loads. GM’s version of the CVT does so by locking the planetary gearsets to let the four heavy-duty fixed gears—still the most efficient way to manage power and fuel economy—take over and handle a load like trailer towing.

Chevy Silverado Hybrid