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Posts Tagged ‘Hybrid Pickup Truck’

Many Americans like myself, prefer a pickup truck to a car for driving and hauling purposes. With most Americans thinking fuel economy and using green thinking I thought for sure a hybrid pickup truck would be easy to find.

I found 2 models right away, both from GM and both full size. The Chevy Silverado and the GMC Sierra are large and dependable pickup trucks. The improved fuel mileage and reduced emissions is good but I prefer a truck that is a little smaller.

If you look to Japan for the answer you will get the same answer from Toyota. There are reports they too are planning on offering a hybrid model of their full size pickup. They even unveiled a concept version the FTX.  This is one great looking truck but the fuel mileage is still not there.  Honda is also tinkering with a hybrid version of their popular Ridgeline pickup. There has been no public announcement and no info can be found.

I did find if you leave the hatch open on the Toyota Prius it could haul small loads. So I continued my search. This eventually led me to pickup truck that was built in America and had fuel efficiency at 45 mpg.

Unfortunately it was 25 years old and the whole idea was abandoned in America soon after its creation. Do you remember the 1982 Volkswagen pickup? This pickup truck had reliability and was fuel-efficient. Remarkably this truck is still in production in South Africa. There are no plans to reintroduce it to the American market.

This means if you want a hybrid pickup you have only two choices. A good point about the two is that they are dependable, reliable and American.

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Toyota is the leader in the automobile world of hybrid engineering. With the best selling hybrid vehicle, the Prius, I am excited with what they are doing in the truck division. The A-BAT is still in the concept stages but made an appearance at the Detroit Auto Show last year. The outward look was futuristic and sleek.

It is said to have a four-cylinder power plant on a unibody frame. Equipped with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive Technology, this hybrid was designed with fuel economy in mind or at least the bases for fuel economy is there.  With translucent solar panels in the top surface of the instrument panel to convert the sunlight to energy this could be the way of the future.

The overall appearance is what caught my eye. Described as a trapezoid appearance with 19-inch wheels, this is one tough looking truck. With an illuminated tailgate and storage lockers in the bed walls, sliding tie downs, an AC power outlet, and a large sliding drawer beneath the bed, this is a work truck that looks great.

Inside the cab there are both AC and DC power outlets to allow for use with almost any application or device one might need. Being Wi-Fi capable this truck will keep you in contact no matter where you go either by back road, trail, or the highway.

With no fuel data I am still waiting to see if this is truly a green truck. Knowing the people at Toyota, I can be assured their idea of green is better most and this will be the truck to move into the future with.