2005 GMC Sierra 1500 Extended Cab Hybrid A mild hybrid in every respect. Hybrids are hot. People have heard about them. They know a hybrid is some kind of miracle powertrain that gives 50 mpg in the Toyota Prius. And it's great for the environment. But the Prius is a pretty small car. What would really be great is a hybrid pickup or SUV. Sure, it might not get as good gas mileage as that little Toyota, but, heck, even if it only got 30 miles to the gallon, that'd still be pretty good. Actually, that would be great-sort of like the all-pie diet where you lose five pounds a week. Unfortunately, neither is reality. What is reality, however, is that GM has introduced hybrid versions of its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The trucks began trickling into commercial fleets a few months ago, but now they're ready for retail sale, in volumes limited only by demand-and by geography. For the '05 model year, the trucks are offered in six states: California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, and Florida. Next year all 50 states will get them. This is not, however, some 30-mpg miracle truck. That's because being a hybrid is not an all-or-nothing proposition-there are degrees of hybrid-ness. The Silverado/Sierra hybrid is what's called a "mild hybrid," and as such, it offers mild benefits. Read entire article by clicking this link. Jeff
I really don't see the cost benefit. Over the life of the Prius (Assuming12-15 years, and escalating gas prices) The Prius can mathematically pay for itself. I'm not going to get into a discussion about whether or not it qualifies as a hybrid, but with only a 2MPG boost and assuming a premium over the price of a Regular Sierra, why is this truck any better than a regular Sierra?
GM thinks it will have political and PR value ("15% better mileage!"). Of course it just looks kinda silly. On the other hand, those 120 VAC outlets will help certain tradesmen who would otherwise use stinky little portable generators or gas-powered tools. This opens up a niche for lawn mowing services to use clean relatively quiet electric tools. (The lack of such a service is why I continue to cut my own lawn.)
Surely your Trading Standards people should call them up on this. It's not a hybrid anything, so it shouldn't be advertised as such. It's just got an automatic engine stop/start function. Nothing to do with being a hybrid (although hybrids do tend to have that function as a side-benefit). It certainly wouldn't qualify for the hybrid tax breaks in this county.
