Bob Lutz-approved Via X-Truck offers 800 hp, 100 MPGe

Give Bob Lutz a little bit of time and a big idea, and he will create for the world "the kind of vehicle I would like to own." That's what he called the X-Truck concept – from the Lutz-affiliated Via Motors – which debuted at the Detroit Auto Show. If you're thinking that the X-Truck (and Via's other offerings, the Presidential SUV and the VTRUX Van) looks a little like a Chevrolet vehicle, well, it certainly does. It's a converted 2013 Chevy Silverado, after all. The X-Truck, though, has been deeply modified inside and out. The truck now has a plug-in hybrid powertrain underneath while the outside was redesigned by Lutz and his team to look a little meaner and beefier while still offering the "fuel economy of a Prius." The changes include custom running boards, fender flares and modified wheels. It's also been raised five inches. A built-in iPad not only communicates information to the driver, but can also communicate with the service department to solve problems.

No official EPA numbers have been released, but Via says its vehicles will get "over 100 mpg in typical local daily driving." As Bob Lutz puts it, "Wouldn't it be great if someone built a truck that drives like theVolt?" It's got lots of power, too. The standard Via powertrain used by each of its vehicles includes a 402 horsepower electric motor. The X-Truck has two of them.

To supplement the 24-kWh, liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack, Via's vehicles use a gas engine as a generator. In the case of the X-Truck, that means a 5.3-liter V8 from GM. The previously planned V6 generator was scrapped, in part because of availability and in part because the V8 is actually more efficient in this situation because the V6 would have to be worked harder, George Prokos, the service/warranty manager of field operations at Via, told AutoblogGreen.

Via vehicles get around 35 miles of all-electric range.

Via vehicles get around 35 miles of all-electric range. When the battery is depleted to 20 percent state-of-charge, the generator kicks on to both provide traction and charge up the pack. When the battery is back up to 25 percent, the generator turns off. "The only way you can tell [the engine turns on or off] is by watching the iPad," Prokos said.

Via also talked a bit more about its relationships with Pacific Gas & Electric and Verizon, both of which are using Via vehicles in their fleets. PG&E said in a statement that the Via trucks and vans, which have an optional onboard inverter to provide 110- and 240-volt power, "offer PG&E the potential to provide mobile, on-site power to help manage electric outages and minimize disruptions for customers." Via and PG&E have been working together since 2008.

Prokos said the vehicles unveiled in Detroit point to a new consumer direction for the company, since both the X-Truck and the Presidential (a converted Suburban) might one day be sold to regular folks who desire a big PHEV. You know, like Bob Lutz. "As far as I know, no one else has a four-wheel drive, jacked-up plug-in truck," he said. "The idea is to give the consumer something a little different than the other extended-range vehicles that are out there."