GM wouldn’t begin providing hybrids in its automobiles till 2004 with its GMT800 platformed pickups. The first was the Chevy Silverado Hybrid.
Compared to hybrids immediately, the hybrid system within the truck was easy and very delicate. Rather than having a full blown hybrid system with a battery, the system consisted of an electrical motor contained in the transmission flywheel. This basically acted as a starter/begin/cease system/alternator for the engine, powering equipment and the truck’s battery. When coming to an entire cease, the engine would shut off, however then the electrical motor used 48V energy to restart the engine. Three 14V batteries below the rear seats supplied a bit of additional energy that have been charged by regenerative braking.
There was no help mode nor might the system transfer the vans on electrical energy alone. Any gasoline economic system beneficial properties the vans acquired have been completely from its means to begin and cease the engine. Those beneficial properties have been modest. Some noticed a ten p.c enhance because the system was nonetheless linked to a giant 5.3 liter V8. Others, like Motor Trend of their long run take a look at, didn’t see the worth as they solely noticed a 1-1.5 mpg enchancment over the usual engine. And it wasn’t low cost; whereas the hybrid possibility was $1,500, it required expensive possibility packages: a Silverado prolonged cab 4X4 with an auto began at simply over $31,000. After including the hybrid and its different expensive however required packages, you wound up with a close to $40,000 delicate hybrid pickup in 2004 {dollars}.
Source: jalopnik.com