Chevrolet Trucks Blog

Chevy just hit the jackpot when it was dubbed the “official vehicle of the 50^th Annual Grammy Awards” and was tapped to provide a throng of eco-friendly vehicles to be used by the different musical celebrities attending e 50^th Annual Grammy Awards which will be held on February 10, 2008 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The company will be providing Hybrid and Flexfuel 85 ethanol SUVs for the awards night. On top of the above-mentioned vehicles, Chevrolet will also be showcasing on the awards night its Chevy Volt Concept car.

As part of the agreement with this prestigious award-giving body, Chevrolet will provide them with a mix of 100 Tahoe Hybrids and Flex Fuel 85 ethanol Tahoe and Suburban SUVs. The Chevy Tahoe Hybrids features the new GM Hybrid System. It has an improved fuel economy thanks in part to the Electrically Variable Transmission (EVT) that was integrated into the car. The vehicle is also equipped with Active Fuel Management complemented with lighter and aerodynamic components that helps the vehicle achieve 21 miles per gallon of fuel economy. The Chevy Tahoe Hybrid also has the distinction of being recognized as the Green Car Journal’s 2008 Green Car of the Year thanks to its use of Flex Fuel 85 ethanol, a biofuel that is composed of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent of gasoline. This fuel helps in limiting the production of greenhouse gases during combustion, reduces the use of petroleum and provides enhanced engine performance.

The Chevy Volt Concept, a four-passenger, battery-powered car on the other hand is powered by the E-Flex propulsion system. This system was designed to help limit the motorists from going to a gas station for a refill of gas and limit the production of C02 emissions. The Chevy Volt, once fully-charged, can run without the use of gas and will not emit any exhaust gases. Recharging can be done through the use of a 110-volt electrical outlet. The car primarily makes use of a gas engine to generate electricity. Other sources of electricity that can also be used to help power the Chevy Volt are wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric energies and biofuels.

Source: Auto News 24H

A decade ago, the automotive industry does not have hybrid on their vocabulary yet. This changed with Toyota’s introduction of the Prius. The main problem then, was that the Prius can’t take on too much load. In fact, one can barely see more than two people ride the Prius. Also, its towing capability is nowhere near those of Sport Utility Vehicles. Unfortunately, SUVs consume so much fuel. With the constant increase of fuel in the world market, auto manufacturers such as the Chevrolet have decided to come up with SUV hybrids as well. This is a concrete answer to the environmentalists who condemn SUVs for their apparent thirst for fuel. For this year, General Motors brings to us the two-mode hybrid system of the full-size Chevrolet Tahoe. With this introduction, GM has a good shot at taking the hybrid crown from Toyota.

The system was first utilized in huge diesel/electric buses, which were produced in cooperation with BMW as well as DaimlerChrysler. This hybrid version of the Tahoe is said to have improve fuel economy by 40 percent when driving in the city. According to the Mary Sipes, the vehicle line director for Full-size Truck Group, “This is a strategy we’ve had in place for quite some time. We’ve always had the means to make a one-off specialty vehicle, but we wanted a bigger footprint, something that could make a huge impact. That’s why we started with the GMT900 platform—we wanted to get big numbers on a big-volume product.”

Among the General Motors vehicles, it is the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid that first featured the company’s all-new two-mode hybrid system. At the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Green Car Journal’s 2008 Green Car of the Year was awarded to none other than the Tahoe Hybrid. According to the editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal that is Ron Cogan, “This is a milestone in many respects. People don’t think “green” when SUVs are concerned, and for generally good reason since SUVs often get poor fuel economy compared to most other vehicles. Chevrolet’s Tahoe Hybrid changes this dynamic with a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 30 percent compared to similar vehicles equipped with a standard V8.”

When it comes to the EPA’s estimated fuel economy ratings for 2008, Chevrolet was able to significantly minimize the fuel consumption on city driving. They say that this is particularly helpful for most SUV owners use their vehicles for a considerable amount of time driving in the city. The Tahoe Hybrid, with its 6.0 liter two-mode engine can achieve up to 50 percent improvement when it comes to having a better fuel economy than that of the original Tahoe with its 5.3 liter V8 engine. To top it off, what shocks most of the people behind EPA is that Tahoe’s 21 mpg city fuel efficiency rating is just the same with the city EPA rating of the four-cylinder Toyota Camry sedan.

Upon receiving the award, Ed Peper, the General Manager of Chevrolet said, “We’re thrilled to receive this recognition from Green Car Journal for out Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. We’ve felt that the Tahoe Hybrid represents the best of both worlds—the great utility you’d expect from a Tahoe with fuel economy on par with today’s mid-size cars. It’s satisfying to receive this validation from such an authority on environmentally-friendly vehicles.”

The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid was able to get majority of the votes by a jury of high-profile industry as well as environmental leaders together with four editors of the Green Car Journal. Among those who were invited to judge the contest include Carroll Shelby, Jay Leno, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Christopher Flavin of the Worldwatch Institute, Jonathan Lash of the World Resources Institute, and Jean-Michel Cousteau of the Ocean Futures Society.

As for the last words, Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club, said that “GM promised they would use hybrid technology, and use it where it would make the most difference—on their biggest vehicles. They have delivered with the Chevy Tahoe…” and adds that this ends the argument that fuel efficiency and choosing a SUV are incompatible.