The Tahoe Hybrid: Size AND Economy

Considering downsizing the size of your vehicle to save on soaring fuel costs? Worried about how to squeeze in those five kids you need to lug to soccer practice every week? Does the sight of a wimpy small sedan fill you with consternation but does the sight of gas prices at $4.00 a gallon fill you with absolute terror? Then perhaps the all new 2008 Tahoe Hybrid will cure what ails you! Available in both 2WD and 4WD, it is comparable with the existing Tahoe in terms of seating, cargo capacity, and price range.

 

The Tahoe Hybrid’s fuel conserving technology includes its 6.0L Vortec V8 engine with Active Fuel Management. It has Late Intake Valve closing for additional fuel savings with Variable Valve Timing and 10.8:1 compression ratio. Even with this high compression rate, the Tahoe Hybrid can run on regular unleaded fuel. The Tahoe Hybrid’s patented technology, the world’s first 2-mode (two motors, both generating 60kW of electricity) hybrid propulsion system, optimizes fuel economy for various driving conditions. The first mode, used at low speeds with light loads, enables the vehicle to operate in three ways: 1) electric power only, 2) engine power only, and 3) combination of electric and engine power. The second mode is used primarily at highway speeds, full engine power is used when necessary such as passing, towing a trailer, and climbing steep grades. The Tahoe Hybrid also recharges itself through regenerative braking. About 30% of its battery power is regenerated through regenerating braking, but be sure to not brake too hard! Just let off the gas and ease down for regeneration to occur.

 

The exterior has also been redesigned for aerodynamic improvements. It has a sleeker aluminum hood, grille and front fascia with a lower air dam, 18” wheels, assist steps, rear spats, a new rear spoiler, D-pillar moldings, tail lamps, rear fascia and an aluminum liftgate with fixed lift glass.

 

The Tahoe Hybrid’s safety components also exceed what you would normally find in a conventional Tahoe. It has a unique crash sensor for high-voltage content, a 300V battery protected by a box which encases it as well as the vehicle structure, a high-voltage system that shuts down automatically when the air bags deploy, and access protection, which shuts down the high-voltage system if any safety cover with integral switches is removed.

 

So cram in all of your kids, pets, and toys! The 2WD supports a payload of 1830 lbs and the 4WD model 1773 lbs. With 332 horsepower, a torque of 367 at 4100 rpm, and towing capacities of 6200 lbs (2WD) and 6000 lbs (4WD), you’ll forget that you’re driving something that uses so little gasoline! Three hundred gallons less per year than the competition, in fact!

Hybrid Tahoe

The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid looks nothing like the NASA space shuttle, yet it’s a similar leap into the future, and a similar collaboration among a bunch of science guys made it happen.

This full-size SUV can still haul seven or eight passengers plus cargo, and tow up to 6,000 pounds. Yet the only different thing you’ll notice about driving it, is the number of fuel stations you can pass by without feeling the need to top off the gas tank. Two-mode hybrids aren’t exactly new. GM has had the two-mode hybrid system working in transit buses since 2003. Today, about 700 of those buses are operating in 60 cities in North America and have just been introduced in Europe.

But the Tahoe represents the technology’s first application to a personal-size vehicle.The two-mode hybrid is a complex integration of electric motors, high-performance electronics, wiring, energy management and hybrid-system control units. As a result, GM had a devil of a time trying to help us understand why this two-mode hybrid technology is better than existing hybrids. A hybrid powertrain requires more airflow for cooling, so the front grille and front airdam have been suitably modified. Meanwhile the front fascia, running boards and rear spoiler have been reconfigured for a more slippery aerodynamic profil. As a result, the Tahoe Hybrid now has a 0.34 Cd (coefficient drag) , compared to the conventional version’s 0.39 Cd.Since the new hybrid powertrain adds about 400 pounds to the Tahoe’s curb weight, there are a number of useful measures to reduce the vehicle’s weight. The hood and rear liftgate are now aluminum. The front bucket seats are thinner, though they turn out to be just as comfortable and improve rear-seat legroom by a fraction. Look at some we have in stock.

So that’s why Chevy is an American Revolution.

2009 Silverado Hybrid

The 2009 Silverado Hybrid is on it’s way!  Arriving later this year, the Silverado Hybrid will still provide the same power you have come to know and expect from Chevy Trucks, while being environmentally conscious at the same time.   To sign up to receive more information on the Silverado and other Chevy Hybrids please visit www.SocalChevyTahoeHybrid.com .