The Via VTRUX is a thing.

"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada)
09/20/2016 at 16:41 • Filed to: None

I like it. You can get the truck, which is a plug in Silverado.

There’s a van, which is a plug in Express

And an SUV, which, naturally, is a plug in Suburban.

Also: The world’s most efficient brodozer.

The problem: They’re all fleet only to my knowledge. I would legit buy one if I had the money and they actually sold them to individuals. You get the practicality of a big pickup, but the efficiency of a plug in hybrid. It’s kinda baffling that nobody else has bothered to make plug in trucks.

DISCUSSION (17)

CB > not for canada - australian in disguise
09/20/2016 at 16:45

I don’t know if you ever saw it, but there was a show in Discovery Canada called “Mean Green Machines”, which compared vehicles to their green counterparts. I remember seeing a towing test between a Silverado and a Tahoe Hybrid. The Silverado struggled to get up to speed with the load, while the guy driving the Tahoe Hybrid just put it in electric mode and drove off with it. Why more pickup trucks don’t come with hybrid drivetrains for that purpose alone baffles me.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > not for canada - australian in disguise
09/20/2016 at 16:48

What’s their range though? Do they have DC Fast Charge available on them?

not for canada - australian in disguise > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
09/20/2016 at 16:49

40 miles EV range for the truck. They don’t really need fast charge though, as it’s a plug in hybrid. So you don’t HAVE to actually charge it in at all.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > not for canada - australian in disguise
09/20/2016 at 16:51

Ahh, it didn’t say whether they were pure EV or plug in hybrid.

I’ve always thought trucks were kind of cool for a plug in SO MUCH ROOM FOR BATTERIES

S65 > not for canada - australian in disguise
09/20/2016 at 16:51

I’m ok with this, they really should sell to individuals. How come GM hasn’t made a plug in Silverado?

HammerheadFistpunch > not for canada - australian in disguise
09/20/2016 at 17:00

It’s certainly been tried, by gm and Chrysler but it certainly didn’t catch. Granted, a plug in would be better than those trucks

HammerheadFistpunch > S65
09/20/2016 at 17:17

Because they don’t need to waste the resources on a niche product. Sounds cynical and it kinda is, but the take rate for that truck is low, as is shown by the regular hybrid truck sales from when they were offered. When you can churn out more trucks for a nice high margin...why would you? that being said, I always liked the 1st gen Hybrid silverados and tahoes that were jointly developed with BMW.They used super clever CVT like transmissions that use planetary gears (similar to the Lexus LC hybrid) to either be a traditional planetary, a simulated CVT or a hybrid of both to use a limited set of physical gear ratios AND simulated gear ratios to offer the feel of a planetary trans of many more physical gears.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > not for canada - australian in disguise
09/20/2016 at 17:19

EVs really need aero, that truck is a wall. The next Tesla should be like the Aptera with 4 doors. That whole Aptera thing was bullshit, they were totally forced out of business. It was the best passenger car ever made in terms of efficiency through aero.

PS9 > not for canada - australian in disguise
09/20/2016 at 17:28

I support hybrids, electrics and plugins. But...this is the vehicular equivalent of a veggie burger.

shop-teacher > HammerheadFistpunch
09/20/2016 at 18:00

I think the biggest reason those didn't catch on, was real world efficiency didn't change all that much.

HammerheadFistpunch > shop-teacher
09/20/2016 at 18:02

in the city it sure did. Highway, not so much. I mean 20 mpg city?! That’s not bad today.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > not for canada - australian in disguise
09/20/2016 at 18:25

I have to say, in the short term mild plug in hybrids seem like a really great solution to saving on fuel. Enough battery to at least get you most of your commute then petrol/diesel for anything longer. Far from perfect, especially if the electricity comes from fossil fuels, but we dont have any great solutions otherwise that dont have the compromises of full EVs.

Wacko > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
09/20/2016 at 19:03

Not really, aero is needed to add range. And with something this heavy, and if you add a loaded bed or a trailer aero will only do so much. I see this as a local delivery truck for supplies. Once you get back to the shop, you plug it back in. Reload and recharge....

bhtooefr > HammerheadFistpunch
09/20/2016 at 19:17

And, then, there’s the power.

In order of horsepower, for 2WD versions, most fuel efficient version with that engine, model year 2009. All except the 4.3, 4.8, and hybrid have a 6-speed auto (the 4.3 and 4.8 having 4-speeds, the hybrid having a 2-mode eCVT with 4 fixed gears). Fuel economy numbers in gallons per 100 miles, because that’s where it really starts to become obvious.

Silverado 4.3: 195 hp/260 lb-ft, 6.7 gal/100 mi city, 5.0 gal/100 mi highway

Silverado 4.8: 295 hp/305 lb-ft, 7.1 gal/100 mi city, 5.3 gal/100 mi highway

Silverado 5.3 XFE: 315 hp/338 lb-ft, 6.7 gal/100 mi city, 4.8 gal/100 mi highway

Silverado 6.0: 367 hp/375 lb-ft, 7.1 gal/100 mi city, 5.3 gal/100 mi highway

Silverado 6.0 Hybrid: 369 hp (torque figures get a bit... strange... on power split hybrids), 4.8 gal/100 mi city, 4.5 gal/100 mi highway

Silverado 6.2: 403 hp/417 lb-ft, 7.7 gal/100 mi city, 5.3 gal/100 mi highway

Now, the downsides of the hybrid were cost and towing capacity - towing capacity was IIRC similar to the 5.3 XFE, and cost was... high. But, it was basically as fast as the 6.0 that it was based on. Note that the hybrid had an Atkinsonized engine (which hurts low end torque, but the hybrid system’s there to help), improving thermal efficiency - GM claimed that they had a bit higher output than 5.3, but better efficiency, IIRC. That shows in the highway fuel economy improvements.

I suspect that if it were done nowadays, it’d be cheaper, especially if they didn’t go so advanced on the gearbox, just using a sandwich hybrid instead. (It is worth noting that in 2016, there’s a 5.3 eAssist (BAS system), for a $500 upcharge (although only currently available in some higher trims) which I’ll toss in the list as well, along with the non-hybrid variant - it has an 8-speed auto, and the latest direct injection 5.3.)

2016 Silverado 5.3: 355 hp/383 lb-ft, 6.2 gal/100 mi city, 4.5 gal/100 mi highway

2016 Silverado eAssist: 355 hp/383 lb-ft (apparently all of the boost is hidden under the curve), 5.6 gal/100 mi city, 4.2 gal/100 mi highway

shop-teacher > HammerheadFistpunch
09/20/2016 at 19:19

Yeah, but you’ve gotta put a lot of city miles on before you make up the cost difference.

HammerheadFistpunch > shop-teacher
09/20/2016 at 20:05

Yup

TheJWT > not for canada - australian in disguise
09/20/2016 at 21:40

What’s the electric bro truck equivalent to rolling coal? Just electrocuting everyone?