Another GM advantage is that when the truck is stopped and the gasoline engine is shut off, the HVAC system can still be operational - not the case for Honda. Turn on the A/C while at a stoplight in the Insight, for instance, and the engine immediately springs to life. The Silverado and Sierra, on the other hand, use an electric pump for circulating hot water to heat the cabin, plus cold, dry air for the air conditioning system. An electrically driven hydraulic pump allows the driver to turn the powered steering wheel while stationary, without the need for the gasoline engine to power up.
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| Two 120-volt, 20 amp electrical auxiliary power outlets are found under the rear bench seat and two in the pickup bed. (General Motors of Canada) |
Contractors and campers alike will appreciate the four 120-volt, 20 amp electrical auxiliary power outlets, found under the rear bench seat and in the pickup bed. Good for everything from plugging in the laptop to powering a table saw, the power source can be activated while the truck is running or after being shut off and the keys taken out of the ignition. Importantly the system's power supply circuits are protected by a ground fault detection system so overloads and short circuits won't be a problem. According to GM, the new hybrid pickups could maintain power for up to 32 hours non-stop before needing to fill the tank. In an intelligent move, the engineers designed it to shut down before needing a complete refill, to allow enough gas to get to a filling station.
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| General Motors Vice President of Research, Development and Planning Larry Burns (left) and U.S. Army Brigadier General Roger A. Nadeau are seen here at a joint GM-Army introduction of a diesel hybrid military pickup, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003. (Joe Polimeni, General Motors of Canada) |
It's not known whether GM will bring a civilian version of its diesel hybrid military pickup truck to market either. Equipped with a fuel cell auxiliary power unit it's pretty sophisticated equipment, improving fuel economy over a conventionally powered diesel pickup by 20 percent. Whether it gets the retail green light or not is irrelevant, at least for the time being. It is, however, sign enough that GM is on top of environmentally friendly technology.
As previously mentioned, GM's Hybrid Silverado and Sierra will be available to retail customers as 2005 models this fall. No doubt the automaker will look to expand its full-size HEV advantage to other models shortly, with the Tahoe/Yukon and Suburban/Yukon XL on the agenda - although no official announcement has been made.