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GM E-Flex pickup with 9klb towing?
From PickupTrucks.com interview with GM
Link....
The most interesting parts (E-Flex = the basic tech used by Volt's Voltec drive)
>“We’re going to see substantial improvements in towing capability in our next hybrids,†said Gary White, GM North America vice president and vehicle line executive for GM Full-Size Trucks. “We think we can raise towing by up to 50 percent more than today’s (hybrid) trucks. For us, it just makes sense that we want to improve the trailering capability. It’s one of the top reasons people buy a truck.â€
We expect GM's next-generation hybrid full-size pickups to arrive by 2013.
>
GM’s 2009 two-wheel-drive hybrids are rated to tow up to 6,100 pounds, and four-wheel-drive models can tow up to 5,900 pounds. That means a tow rating of up to 9,000 pounds is possible in GM’s next-generation hybrids. A conventional GM 6.0-liter gas V-8 crew cab half-ton is rated to tow up to 10,600 pounds with an optional enhanced trailering package.
>
How will GM realize its improvements in capability, along with another expected jump in fuel economy? Could GM’s future hybrid pickups evolve from today’s two-mode parallel hybrid architecture to a plug-in, series-hybrid powertrain, similar to the Chevrolet Volt’s so-called E-Flex system?
“E-Flex is an option that’s on the table,†White said. “I don’t know if the current system, the one that’s in (today’s) trucks, could evolve enough. One of the things you might consider is E-Flex.â€
Link....
The most interesting parts (E-Flex = the basic tech used by Volt's Voltec drive)
>“We’re going to see substantial improvements in towing capability in our next hybrids,†said Gary White, GM North America vice president and vehicle line executive for GM Full-Size Trucks. “We think we can raise towing by up to 50 percent more than today’s (hybrid) trucks. For us, it just makes sense that we want to improve the trailering capability. It’s one of the top reasons people buy a truck.â€
We expect GM's next-generation hybrid full-size pickups to arrive by 2013.
>
GM’s 2009 two-wheel-drive hybrids are rated to tow up to 6,100 pounds, and four-wheel-drive models can tow up to 5,900 pounds. That means a tow rating of up to 9,000 pounds is possible in GM’s next-generation hybrids. A conventional GM 6.0-liter gas V-8 crew cab half-ton is rated to tow up to 10,600 pounds with an optional enhanced trailering package.
>
How will GM realize its improvements in capability, along with another expected jump in fuel economy? Could GM’s future hybrid pickups evolve from today’s two-mode parallel hybrid architecture to a plug-in, series-hybrid powertrain, similar to the Chevrolet Volt’s so-called E-Flex system?
“E-Flex is an option that’s on the table,†White said. “I don’t know if the current system, the one that’s in (today’s) trucks, could evolve enough. One of the things you might consider is E-Flex.â€