Tech Preview: GM Two-Mode Hybrid Pickups

[bigtime]

Someone mentioned wanting to drive these to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I got news for you, people drive MORE as mpg goes up. If $3.oo a gallon gas didn't get them to drive less than I doubt ADDING mpg will do anything substainal. Fact is the U.S. doesn't use that much foreign oil (middle east), Mexico (#1 source) and Canada (#2 source) are the 2 biggies. I am afraid we have been duped. There is no reason for oil prices to be as high as they are. Ethanol is a joke. Hybrids are even more ridiculous. Congrats, we all fell for it though. I love capitalism. : )


BTW: Isn't it convenient that all of a sudden automakers have figured out how to get more mpg? Threaten them with higher CAFE and game on! Add higher gas prices and its a perfect fit. Funny how we couldn't get great mpg COMBINED with low gas prices. So as mpg goes up, so do gas prices, meaning we will always be paying the same amount for the "energy" we use. Got to admire the genius behind it all.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by bigtime

Someone mentioned wanting to drive these to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I got news for you, people drive MORE as mpg goes up. If $3.oo a gallon gas didn't get them to drive less than I doubt ADDING mpg will do anything substainal. Fact is the U.S. doesn't use that much foreign oil (middle east), Mexico (#1 source) and Canada (#2 source) are the 2 biggies. I am afraid we have been duped. There is no reason for oil prices to be as high as they are. Ethanol is a joke. Hybrids are even more ridiculous. Congrats, we all fell for it though. I love capitalism. : )


BTW: Isn't it convenient that all of a sudden automakers have figured out how to get more mpg? Threaten them with higher CAFE and game on! Add higher gas prices and its a perfect fit. Funny how we couldn't get great mpg COMBINED with low gas prices. So as mpg goes up, so do gas prices, meaning we will always be paying the same amount for the "energy" we use. Got to admire the genius behind it all.

If they really wanted to automakers could build an suv the size of a Tahoe that could probably get over 30 MPG. The reason it isn't done is due the fact it would probably double the price of the vehicle. Just curious but are you in favor of the socialist policy of taxing fuel like they do in Europe?

[uboys]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

If they really wanted to automakers could build an suv the size of a Tahoe that could probably get over 30 MPG. The reason it isn't done is due the fact it would probably double the price of the vehicle. Just curious but are you in favor of the socialist policy of taxing fuel like they do in Europe?

He probably is. I have never met a leftist who understands anything about economics--period.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by uboys

He probably is. I have never met a leftist who understands anything about economics--period.

Indeed, I know this is getting old and cliché but it needs to be said. This is America and we have the right to drive whatever the hell we want. No government agency has the right to inflate the price of gas so they can force people to drive more fuel efficient vehicles. To me that is a form of Socialism and I don't want that crap here.

I think fuel efficient vehicles are great, but they are not great if I have to move down to a smaller and/or less powerful vehicle.

[asim]

Why are the pickup hybrids coming out so much later than the SUVs? It should be the same basic system (just with a few tweaks) compared to the SUVs. You would think that the Silverado/Sierra hybrids could be out by spring of 2008.

[TimR]

Originally Posted by bigtime

Fact is the U.S. doesn't use that much foreign oil (middle east), Mexico (#1 source) and Canada (#2 source) are the 2 biggies. I am afraid we have been duped.

According to this its Canada #1, Saudi Arabia #2 and Mexico #3...

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/p...nt/import.html

[bigtime]

Fact: Less than 14 percent of our oil comes from the middle east. Period.

I stand by my statement. Reduce a little here and there, drill in Alaska and add some ethanol and we could eliminate that 14 percent. Duped, da-duped, duped, duped!

[Gm786]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

Indeed, I know this is getting old and cliché but it needs to be said. This is America and we have the right to drive whatever the hell we want. No government agency has the right to inflate the price of gas so they can force people to drive more fuel efficient vehicles. To me that is a form of Socialism and I don't want that crap here.

I think fuel efficient vehicles are great, but they are not great if I have to move down to a smaller and/or less powerful vehicle.

I agree. Maybe GM should give the Two-Mode system a try in the Hummer H2? Just a thought.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by Gm786

I agree. Maybe GM should give the Two-Mode system a try in the Hummer H2? Just a thought.

Yea why not? A H2 that can get 20-22 MPG combined but still retaining its off road abilities and size would be a good sell I feel. Maybe even pair it with a Diesel?

[Gm786]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

Yea why not? A H2 that can get 20-22 MPG combined but still retaining its off road abilities and size would be a good sell I feel. Maybe even pair it with a Diesel?

Now that would be awesome! Seriously, GM should give it a shot.

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by bigtime

Fact: Less than 14 percent of our oil comes from the middle east. Period.

I stand by my statement. Reduce a little here and there, drill in Alaska and add some ethanol and we could eliminate that 14 percent. Duped, da-duped, duped, duped!

You're hiding your head in the sand..or the snow..

Yes technically you are right that our $ don't go directly to Iran or others who might not wish us well in the MidEast but oil is a fungible product and it's traded freely world wide.

Some of our Alaskan oil ends up profiting some sheik or ayatollah. Because of the sheer size of our consumption we necessarily take 25% of the output of every well on earth. The oil may get traded and bartered all over the world and while you think you just drove some Venezuelan oil from Citgo, the Citgo traders may have swapped 1 million bbl with Iran to supply the US contract while they were supplying a South African contract.

More likely from a logistics perspective what happened was that the traders spoke and said there's a US contract for 1 million bbl and a SA contract for 1 million bbl, 'Let's do this Iran, to save freight you send yours to SA and we'll send ours to the US, and we'll split the profit.'

It doesn't matter when oil comes out of the ground or out of the ocean we use 25% of every drop pumped .. in one way or another. 'But most of our oil comes from Canada, Mexico, Venezuela and S Arabia', you say. Yes this is true but because of our huge demand we are just taking these players out of the world market and allowing other like Iran, Iraq, etc to profit from the absence of the American producers.

If we weren't using so much then Mexico and Canada and Venezuela would have to go fight the MidEast producers for contracts in S America, europe, CHINA, CHINA, CHINA, INDIA, INDIA. Right now they don't have to fight for these contracts because the biggest user on earth is literally in their backyard. In absence of the American producers in China, India and other areas the Mideast can have all that business to themselves. They too prosper by our overwhelming demand.

Don't hide your head in the sand. Look reality directly in the eye.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by Gm786

Now that would be awesome! Seriously, GM should give it a shot.

Not to mention it might shut the mouths of the green nazi's.

[Gm786]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

Not to mention it might shut the mouths of the green nazi's.

Seriously, it will do just that and probably more.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by Gm786

Seriously, it will do just that and probably more.

Yea like make them focus on Toyota's recent shortcomings.

[maxaccel]

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

Tech Preview: GM Two-Mode Hybrid Pickups
By: Mike Levine Posted: 10-18-07 00:00 PT

© 2007 PickupTruck.com

If the discontinued GMT 800 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid was a 'mild' hybrid, then the new GMT 900 Two-Mode Hybrid must be a jalapeno.
I recently drove the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid to get a full size, SUV-flavored preview of the 2009 Silverado Two-Mode pickup. The next-gen Silverado Hybrid is expected to go on sale a year from now.
General Motors co-developed Two-Mode Hybrid technology with Daimler|Chrysler and BMW. It's more capable and versatile than the parallel hybrid technology it replaces.
http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/stor...ode/page1.html

ok Im no expert on this hybrid technology but wouldnt it get even better mpg if they used a tiny 4 cyl, or even smaller ICE ,acting strictly as a generator charging the batteries and in turn run those electric motors continously at all speeds?