GM uses lightweight, advanced materials to reduce weight on 2015 Colorado pickup

Mass comparison, 4x4 crew cabs. Click to enlarge.

The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado uses engineering techniques and lightweight materials to create fuel-efficient pickup capability in a mass-efficient mid-size package. The 2015 Colorado 4x4 crew cab, which GM expects to be the most popular version of the new trucks, weighs 880 to 1,400 lbs (363 to 635 kg) less than a full-size truck. Chevrolet expects EPA fuel economy estimates for Colorado this summer.

This weight saving is a result of the slightly smaller overall dimensions of the Colorado, along with extensive use of lightweight materials, including high-strength steels and aluminum.

The Colorado will begin arriving in showrooms this fall at the same time as the new Ford F-150 (earlier post), setting up a contrast between two strategies for reducing the weight of pickups. Aluminum alloys are used throughout the F-150 body for the first time, improving dent and ding resistance and also saving weight. Overall, up to 700 pounds (318 kg) of weight have been saved.

When it comes to building lighter pickups, there is more than one answer. Building on our experience with the new Silverado, we engineered the Colorado to be highly mass-efficient, while still providing the performance, capability, dependability and features that midsize truck customers are asking for.

—Jeff Luke, executive chief engineer

In overall size, Colorado fits neatly below the Silverado 1500 in the Chevrolet lineup. The short-bed crew cab is 212.76 inches long, 17 inches shorter than a comparable Silverado 1500. Colorado’s overall width of 74.3 inches is five inches narrower than Silverado and two inches wider than the Equinox.

However, GM expects this slightly smaller package to lead the mid-size segment with up to 6,700 pounds (3,039 kg) of available towing capability.

Like Silverado, Colorado extensively uses lightweight, high-strength steels. Fully boxed frames formed primarily from high-strength steel reduce weight and increase stiffness for a quieter ride and better handling.

Steel structure of the 2015 Colorado. Click to enlarge.

Key areas of the body structure also benefit from high-strength steels, reducing mass and enhancing strength and safety. Overall, about 71% of the body structure uses high-strength steels.

The pickup box consists of roll-formed steel, which is lighter and stronger than traditional stamped steel.

Major aluminum components include the hood, front steering knuckles, and cylinder heads and engine blocks for both the 2.5L four cylinder and 3.6L V-6. Reflecting the attention to weight savings found throughout the Colorado, the aluminum heads for the V-6 feature integral exhaust manifolds, which save about 13 pounds (5.9 kg) over traditional cast-iron manifolds.

The front of Colorado features a composite grille opening reinforcement with active shutters that seals the front of the truck, reducing aerodynamic drag and improving cooling performance. Another weight-saving feature, electric power steering, also helps improve steering assist for easier maneuverability in tight situations.

Because of its mass-efficient design, Colorado engineers skipped the cost and complexity of turbocharging Colorado’s four-cylinder and V-6 engines.

In addition to the lightweight aluminum cylinder heads and blocks, both engines feature direct fuel injection and continuously variable valve timing for better performance and more-efficient operation. Based on current GM testing, the standard 2.5L four is estimated at 193 hp (144 kW), while the available V-6 is estimated at 302 hp (225 kW).

Both the Colorado and its engines have been tested and validated to the same tough standards as the full-size Silverado.

GM to Cancel Hybrid Trucks, SUVs

Despite heavily marketing the company’s Volt and eAssist technologies in the 2013 Chevy and Buick lineups, GM Inside News is reporting that the next-generation of GM’s hybrid full-size trucks and SUVs will not feature hybrid powertrains.

This news follows multiple rumors and spy shots that suggest the new full-size trucks and SUVs will not be as “Earth shattering” or innovative as many industry insiders had speculated.

It’s unclear whether the move to cut back the next-generation truck lineup’s R&D budget has its roots in the sort of fuel-saving ICE development that allows Chrysler’s new trucks to achieve 25 mpg or a general lack of interest (and, therefor, profits) in GM’s full-size offerings. At this time last year, GM’s trucks were positively dying on dealer lots while the company’s smaller, more fuel-efficient offerings were flying driving off the shelves in much less time.

You can check out the original “Inside” article, below.

In recent weeks, news and speculation surrounding GM’s next generation full-size trucks and SUVs has been piqued. The increased speculation has stemmed from multiple rumors and spy shots that suggest the new full-size trucks and SUVs will not be as Earth shattering as originally speculated. GMI has now been told that GM has canceled almost all of the hybrid variants of the new trucks and SUVs.

GMI has confirmed with several sources—both external and internal at GM—that the hybrid program surrounding the full-size trucks and SUVs has been shutdown. It is unusual for GM to cancel programs that are so close to launch, but many insiders GMI has spoken with are not terribly surprised by the move.

The current batch of hybrid trucks and SUVs has historically not sold well. It has also been reported to GMI that the program has seen cost overruns and management does not feel like the hybrid trucks and SUVs are worth continued investment at this time.

Sources have indicated that the Escalade Hybrid may remain in the cards for the next generation. If true, GM likely feels the public relations aspect of having celebrities purchase the “green” Escalade deems the investment a worthwhile one. The 2014 Escalade is slated to be the last new SUV to launch in January 2014, meaning GM has more time to develop a hybrid version of the Escalade.

As it stands today GM offers their Two-Mode hybrid system in the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado and Tahoe and GMC Sierra and Yukon. The Two-Mode system utilizes two electric motors housed in the transmission case and a nickel-metal hydride battery pack to assist in powering the vehicle under specified conditions. In most applications the system is rated at 20 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.

The original plan called for the next generation trucks and SUVs to utilize an updated version of the current Two-Mode system. Updates to the powertrain were to include mating it to a smaller displacement V-8 engine, upgrading the battery storage to a more modern lithium ion pack and revised electric motors.

Collectively, it was also speculated that the new hybrids would technically have more than two modes, including possible plug-in functionality.

News of GM scrapping the hybrids comes on the heels of further reports from insiders that suggest a recent interior spy shot of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and reaction to it led to a shakeup of the entire new truck program. Details of what exactly has changed are unclear, but nonetheless, development of GM’s latest trucks and SUVs continue to evolve – despite launching in just nine to 10 months from now.

Source: Gas2.0

Will Chevrolet Follow Ford's Lead in Offering Full Size V6 Pickups?

Just like cars, pickup trucks are under increasing legislative pressure to offer more efficient, higher gas-mileage options to buyers. 
For Ford, that’s meant offering its popular F150 full-size pickup truck with a V-6 EcoBoost engine to help gas mileage as well as reinstating a standard V-6 engine option, choices that have become extremely popular with Ford customers. 
But as it contemplates it next generation pickups, General Motors knows that turbocharged V-6 engines is the only way to get better gas mileage out of pickups. 
Talking with Automotive News (subscription required) last week, GM North America President Mark Reuss explained that replacing V-8 engines in full-size pickups with V-6 engines wasn’t a huge priority for the firm. 
Instead, he explained, keeping a mid-size, lighter pickup with a fuel efficient drivetrain made more sense for the company. 
Essentially, his argument revolves around the fact that since Ford stopped making the Ranger pickup, it only offers full-size pickups. 

ford f150 01

The F150 ecoboost, while better than a V-8 F150 on gas mileage, can’t match the F150 V-8 model’s towing and load-carrying capabilities. 
To produce a pickup truck with a V-6 engine that still gives good power and towing, Reuss points out, GM would have to make a smaller, lighter pickup truck. 
That’s exactly what GM is planning, in the form of the next-generation Colorado mid-size pickup truck. Replacing the old, now-defunct Colorado and its underpowered straight-five engine, the new Coloardo could be the perfect platform for an eco-minded drivetrain.
GM won’t be drawn on what will power that vehicle yet, but one possible solution is rumored to be a V-6 turbocharged unit or perhaps a standard V-6 engine, leaving its full-size pickup trucks with a traditional V-8 drivetrain. 
Of course, it’s worth noting that GM isn’t new to the green pickup game: its current green pickup is the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 15 Dual-Mode Hybrid.
In its two-wheel drive variant, it can achieve an impressive 20 mpg city and 23 mpg highway for a combined EPA rating of 21 mpg which beats the Ford F150 EcoBoost’s combined gas mileage rating by 3 mpg. 
Here’s the catch.
GM’s current two-mode hybrid system, used in the full-size Silverado, is notoriously complicated AND expensive to build. In fact, some sources cite GM’s current two-mode hybrid system costs at least $10,000 per vehicle.  That extra cost has helped sales remain abysmal compared to the hybrid versions of full-size SUVs from GM that share the same platform. 
Using a turbocharged, V-6 engine, or perhaps even a larger version of the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine used in the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, should be cheaper for GM, meaning the price of buying an economical pickup truck from GM could drop too.
But with GM working on a revised dual-mode hybrid system, not to mention dual-fuel pickup trucks, anything, perhaps even a combination of all three options, is possible. 




Source: Green Car Reports

GM introduces CNG bi-fuel Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups

Bi-fuel Chevrolet Silverado. Click to enlarge.

General Motors is introducing compressed natural gas (CNG) bi-fuel versions of the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 HD extended cab pickup trucks. Fleet and retail consumers can place orders beginning this April.

The vehicles feature a CNG-capable Vortec 6.0L V8 engine that seamlessly transitions between CNG and gasoline fuel systems. With both CNG and gasoline tanks full, the trucks offer a range of more than 650 miles. The Silverado and Sierra will be available in standard and long box, with either two- or four-wheel drive.

The Vortec engine features hardened exhaust valves and hardened intake and exhaust valve seats. Bosch supplies the fuel injection system. The trucks use a 17-gallon Type 3 CNG tank made from composite material with aluminum liner and carbon fiber wrap. GM placed a collar around the head of the tank for further safety.

Fuel tank and fuel door. Click to enlarge.

GM mounts the tank through the bed of the truck to the frame; the fuel door is high up and out of the impact area. All of the high pressure fuel lines run inside of the frame rails.

The trucks always start on gasoline, then switch over automatically to CNG after a few minutes once the appropriate temperature is reached. The trucks continue operating on CNG until the CNG tank is depleted, and then it automatically switches back to gasoline. The driver can switch from CNG to gasoline using a switch on the dashboard. An LED system on the switch monitors the fuel in the CNG tank.

Horsepower and torque are identical to the base truck when running on gasoline. On CNG there is “minimal” loss of horsepower and torque, according to GM. The bo-fuel truck offers comparable towing capability. The CNG system adds 450 lb. to the total weight of the truck.

GM is the only manufacturer to offer a single-source option for its gaseous fuel vehicles. The bi-fuel trucks are built with a specially designed engine, the fuel system is installed by GM’s Tier One supplier (IMPCO) and the completed vehicle is delivered directly to the customer. This process makes ordering the bi-fuel option as seamless and efficient as a standard vehicle.

The bi-fuel commercial trucks will be covered by GM’s three-year, 36,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty and five-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty and vehicle emissions warranty, meeting all Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) emission certification requirements.

Source: Green Car Congress