I always thought this truck was just a PR stunt from GM. The technology is very cool and impressive but the increase in FE really doesn't offset increase in complexity or cost. Verizon is just doing this so they can satisfy the shareholders saying the company is being more green.

A hybrid truck or van is best suited to the kinds of work a fleet like this needs. Mostly urban driving, capable of work-like duties, lots of stop-and-go. I think what most seem to misunderstand about hybrids is that this is where their benefits really apply. Postal fleets, delivery vehicles, shuttles, couriers. Hopefully, one of the big three will put a hybrid drivetrain in a vehicle like the Express van or the Transit, and the commercial buyer will get an opportunity to assess their value better.

Good for Verizon! In the city is where a hybrid truck is more useful. They're making a smart decision as they don't really need all the capabilities that regular 1500's have.

Ahhh more money thrown at the green BS.

Never before has perception mattered more than reality.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100604/BUSINESS01/6040328/1331/BUSINESS01/Boost-in-mileage-also-boosts-vehicles-cost-federal-study-says

Can you tow with this?

@Frank: Yes, you can tow with the Hybrid Silverado. Up to 6,100 lbs for the 2WD version.

This hybrid looks like its just a really expensive midsize truck. UP TO 6,100lbs? Those capabilities and gas mileage should be achieved using a midsize.

Exerpt from Power Kid's link -
"The panel found that based on a 2007 vehicle, available technology could boost a typical gasoline engine's efficiency by 29% at a cost of $2,200. Switching to diesel engines would offer a 37% increase for $5,900 per vehicle, while a hybrid could offer up to a 50% improvement for $9,000."

Isn't Ford's EB 3.5 supposed to give around 30% better MPG for 3,000 dollars price premium?

The diesel engine seems to be the most cost effective.

9,000 for batteries - what's the true cost per mile?

This would be better suited for City Street Cleaning. It's good for City workers who pick up garbage bags from City trash cans all day. The good thing is only 300lbs were shed from the payload to 1,418 pounds

"The four-wheel-drive Silverado 1500 Hybrid HY2 model I tested had a price of $47,305, and with a sunroof and destination charge the total fell just shy of $50K" - PUTC

That is a lot of loot. Why not just go with the regular half ton Silvy, tow more but sacrifice 5 mpgs in the city. I don't get it.

Does anybody think it will be benfecial to buy a Hybrid?

@ Frank - current hybrids are a waste of money.
It's like peeing your pants in public while wearing light clothing -
You get a warm feeling and everyone notices.
Things then cool off and you realize you made a mistake.

@ Lou

The key point there is "1997" That was before the new emmisions regs killed diesel fuel eficiency. (Hopefully temporarily)

Nice PR stunt. Hybrid trucks purchased at a woman owned dealership. Did we really need to know a woman owned the dealership? The hit the green crowd and the minority/disadvantaged/women owned business groups in one PR stunt. Would not suprise me if the got a Federal kick back for doing it as well.

This sucks. Next time I need Verizon to come fix my FIOS chances are now the repair tech will break down on his way. Figures.

this cant be true since I thought ford was the only manufacturer to sell fleeet vehicles. At least I thought that is what I keep reading when it comes to sale totals. Besides if you really want to help the environment buy a prius.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7448

Reliability issues? We Will find out.
Cost? It is expensive (I really dont want all the extra frilly stuff).

Fuel Savings? Frank, dont pay attention to people like Lou who are too busy talking about how hybrids are stupid. You have heard the possible downsides of the Hybrid, now read the article above and see what a vehicle like the Chevy Hybrid can do. The article discusses the 2009 (or is it 2008) GMC Yukon Hybrid. The hybrid system is discussed in detail but you will be pleasently surprised when you see the results of their test drive.

Remember people, the EPA fuel ratings show what kind of mpgs you get with "real world" driving. Real world = agressive, fast, wasteful. With a more conservative driving technique you can take ANY TRUCK/CAR and surpass the EPA ratings.

Instead if bitching, learn to exploit the technology available in current trucks to come out ahead of the mpg game.

With people like frank , lou and bobsled boy giving their "expert" advice, PUTC should fire their staff and hire these moron's...I mean rocket scientists. No I do mean MORON's. No one is going to buy this truck because it gets 2 mpg over a standard Chevy and 5 mpg over a standard f150 or 8 mpg over a tundra. They will buy it because it fits their needs over something else. BTW payload boys, less than 5% of 1/2 ton PU owners will ever tow or load at manufacturers max load so the measley 6100 makes no difference to anyone but a ford girl who knows ford can't make a hybrid pick up.

Didn't GM say they were discontinuing the Silverado Hybrid and redoing it not long ago? In fact that was why Ram dumped their hybrid plans as it was with technology shared with this version of the Silverado that was scheduled to be dumped. Both it and the Tahoe have been dismal failures in sales.

Ien - BTW the tow ratings and payload rationgs of this hybrid make it essentially have the capabilities of a Nissan Frontier, Dodge Dakota or Tacoma. Those can all get better mileage and cost less. Big whoop.

@ Keith this does'nt happen offten but I agree with you 100%. This is not news. This is PR. Hybris are useful in very limited areas. City driving mainly. The climate can't be to cold as batteries don't like cold not to mention the engine has to run to keep occupants warm. Any kind of electric heating would just drain batteries further which means running the engine more which negates the benefits. In climates that are to hot AC will be run which requires the engine to be run or an electric AC compressor which uses battery power draining them and requiring the engine to be run. The big picture comes down to what the batteries cost and how much they are to replace. The truck has to owned long enough for the fuel savings to pay for the extra cost of the powertrain. After that it pays off but what happens when the battery needs replacing. Will they owner still be ahead of the game after replacment? I doubt it. New diesels are just as bad. I can afford to own one and the mileage benefits would be great but all it takes is for one component to fail and the savings are gone. Unless the towing capacity is needed on a regular basis the real world benefits just aren't there anymore.

@Jordan L

The point you bring up about the batteries is true, if those puppies fail, and your warranty has expired, how much will it cost to replace them? I'm sure it is much more than just a brand new "Red Top" you can pick up at Autozone.

After reading the rest of your post I began to wonder, do you ever think positive? I get the feeling that no matter what the big three put out, you will focus all your energy on discussing the negative things about it. Diesel? Too expensive and the turbos can fail. Hybrid? Batteries suck and EPA rating aint worth the cost. Ecoboost? V6 aint supposed to be in a truck. Mustang's 3.7L V6 going into a F150? V6 can't move a 1/2 ton truck. AFM? Dosent get used enough to make a difference.

Dont get me wrong, the negative points brought up are valid ones, but start thinking positive. Instead of bitching about each system/features weaknesses, think about how the technology can be exploited to your advantage. Use the tehnologies that are available and move closer to a solution.

Let me move back to the Silverado Hybrid. Do I think it is the answer to all our problems? No. If I were to buy one, the cost of the battery pack would concern me. Also, why do all those fancy options (heated mirrors, chrome wheels, blue tooth, leather wrapped steering wheel) come standard? All those extre features just jack up the price further. But if those "green guys" can take a a toyota prius and easily get 150% of the EPA fuel economy rating, I bet the same could easily be done with the Silverado. Look at the link I put in my post above to see what kind of cool stuf they can do with the 2008 Yukon Hybrid.

David. Jordan is a Dodge tech. He has no issues with Dodge. :)

Back to the Silverado Hybrid. It is old hybrid technology and not th emost effiecient either. GM is like this with all it's hybrids. They are behind the curve. IN fact they are killing off the current Silverado/Tahoe hybrid to come out with a new one. Dodge was going to utilize tech from the current GM twins on it's Ram 1500 hybrid and dropped those plane when GM announced it was redoing their truck hybrids.

@ Keith

Didn't one of the articles on this site mention that the new Silverado Hyrbrid is coming out for the model 2013?? GM is behind the curve (you are right) but I think it is a step in the right direction.

Pretty sure the current version is dead. They actually ran a huge incentive program not long ago.

Why partner a hybrid system with a 6L V8?
The 5.3 would be a better choice.
GM - 8 year 100,000 mile warranty. What do you do after that?
Most are predicting a minimum of 3,000 dollars to replace batteries.
Most cost estimates put the hybrid's break even point at 100,000 miles (depending on actual fuel economy and price of fuel).
Sure - a private person could get better MPG than the EPA but have you ever seen a fleet truck driven carefully?

EPA = real world (agressive, fast, wasteful)
When did this transformation occur?

I don't care who makes it. It happens to be a GM and it's not a cost effective hybrid.

The Alt - E truck is much more efficient.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/04/alte-wants-to-park-an-electric-pickup-in-your-driveway.html#more

They said it should be able to pull 7,500 lb. That is better than the towing capacity of a Chev hybrid 2 wheel drive's 6,100 lb.
They stated an extra 300 miles once the engine kicks in to power the generator. With an 8 gallon tank that would be :
37.5 mpg.
That also is much better than the GM hybrid's 21/22 mpg.
I've read that it could average $3.00 dollars a night to charge up plugin batteries. That would be equivalent to 50 miles per gallon (assuming 3 dollar gallon gasoline).

Some one is going to point out that it's in a Ford chassis.
Again - I don't care who makes it, I think this is a better system.

@ Lou

"Sure - a private person could get better MPG than the EPA but have you ever seen a fleet truck driven carefully?"

That is sad, so much potential but most people wont lift a finger to do their part.

"EPA = real world (agressive, fast, wasteful)
When did this transformation occur?"

Compared to the old testing (pre-2008), the new EPA testing takes into account faster speeds (up to 80mph), quicker acceleration, and A/C. ALl the things that people in the real world do. All because they test it that way, doesnt mean you have to drive it that way.

I read the same article regarding the "Alt - E truck." Where is it? When will it be available? ANy testing done yet? We have no idea when it will be available (unless you do). Will it or something like it be available in the next 2-3 years when I'm going to purchase a new truck??

@Keith, GM did in fact offer a trade-in incentive. But it was an owner loyalty bonus for the 2004 to 2007 Silverado hybrids.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/02/gm-offering-5000-loyalty-bonus-for-gmt800-chevrolet-silverado-and-gmc-sierra-owners.html#more

@ David Yeah, I guess my post is kind of doom and gloom but thats the reality of the new MPG standards being introduced for trucks. The Chev Hybrid exists because GM needs its mileage #'s to help there average. Ford introducing the EB in the F-150 is thier attempt at helping their average. I honesly think the answer is diesels for trucks and the larger heavier fulsize SUV. You look at all the heavy machinery that moves out there: ocean liners, trains, semi's, constructions equipment. Its because of the efficency and the longgevity. The CARB needs to relax on the diesel emmisions. My daily driver is a 92 Dakota. It'll get 18 mpg on the hwy on a good day. Look at any of the new diesel trucks from Ford, GM, or Ram. They all haul more, tow more, weigh more, more interior space, accerate better, and they all get better mileage. And this is with all the emmisions crap on them. Just think what a diesel tuned for mileage in a half ton could do minus some emmisions stuff. Problem would be solved. One thing is for sure, the future is going to be very interesting.

@ David - your points about how we drive are well taken. I've read that the new D-Max has hit 30 MPG. I read a Canadian test with the new Ford diesels and they were getting 30 - 32 US MPG.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/2010/03/15/first-drive-2011-ford-super-duty-pickup.htm/2
Exerpt -
"we registered the equivalent of 8.1 L/100 km (35 mpg Imp); when the economy challenge winner finally did arrive at the hotel, he averaged 6.9 L/100 km (41 mpg Imp). Those are pretty much car efficiency numbers. The winner among the gasoline trucks got 13.0 L/100 km (22 mpg Imp)."

Diesel
41(Imp.) = (US)32.8
35(Imp) = (US)30.4
Gas
22(imp) = (US)17.6

I read your link and those were some impressive numbers.
I think that the whole Verison hybrid purchase from a female owned car dealership is a PR stunt.
A fleet of 4 banger Colorado's would of been more cost effective.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31195

They did some great things with the new 6.7 in the SD. Of course, I would like some more details on how it was tested.

@ David - looks like the MPG advantage of diesel engined trucks is back in a big way. It will be interesting to see real world DEF consumption figures as well.

@David,

Yeah, me too. Those MPG's figures are huge