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General Motors' Bi-fuel Vehicles to Command an $11,000 Premium

CNG-capable Silverado, GMC Sierra will have longest range of any bi-fuel trucks, GM says.

By Joshua Condon Apr 17, 2012 4:54PM
The 2012 Chevy Silverado. Photo by Chevy.General Motor's new bi-fuel trucks, the 2013 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy duty pickups, will have the greatest total range, at more than 650 miles, of any bi-fuel options on the road, according to the automaker. One drawback: expect to pay a whopping $11,000 premium for the privilege.

The trucks, which will be available later this year at an expected cost of more than $40,000 each (based on 2012 model year pricing; official figures have yet to be announced), will boast a 6.0-liter Vortec V8 engine that can switch between compressed natural gas (CNG) and regular gasoline. On the plus side, CNG is far less expensive than either gasoline or diesel: according to GM spokesperson Joyce Mattman, the average price of CNG is the equivalent of $1.89 per gallon of gasoline. Mattman said fleet and retail customers could expect to save from $5,000 to $10,000 over a three-year period, based on current gas prices. Carbon-dioxide emissions from CNG-powered large vehicles are also around 25 percent less.

A major drawback, however, is the lack of CNG fueling stations in the country: fewer than 1,000 exist nationwide, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The bi-fuel option will be available on any heavy-duty truck configuration, and the vehicles will be covered by General Motors' three-year, 36,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty, plus the five-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. Ordering begins Thursday at Chevy and GMC dealerships.

[Source: General Motors.]

7Comments
Apr 18, 2012 5:19AM
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in a few years CNG will be the same or more than gas/diesel, supply and demand and both increasing and we know what happens with greedy gas/oil companies! Since Ethanol is a joke, too costly, subsidies by Fed to grow crops, not as much power per gallon as gas, equates to no savings over non ethanol gas-what is CNG power equivalent to regular gas?
Apr 19, 2012 5:20AM
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General Motors' Bi-fuel Vehicles to Command an $11,000 Premium

this is just one reason why bi-sexual can stick it.

the engine is also compromised to run on both fuels and not efficient for either fuel.

if i wanted a natural or liquid gas automobile i would only want one that was for cng or lpg only, not this bi-sexual farce.

Apr 18, 2012 10:46AM
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They're sure proud of their prices.  I checked two diffeerent approved conversion systems for my 98 Ford and can do the entire conversion for well under $3000.00

Of course with public education being what it is, I suppose a bunch of those overpriced Government Motors trucks will be sold to the uneducated millions.

Apr 20, 2012 4:36AM
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Of course with public education being what it is, I suppose a bunch of those overpriced Government Motors trucks will be sold to the uneducated millions.

Well, that's who's buying Hondas and Toyotas.  Why not bi-fuel GM trucks?

Apr 18, 2012 8:58AM
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650 miles to the tank is a great accomplishment. What happens if it's all CNG? Oil companies should be seeing the writing on the wall if they are not already. We have so much CNG that we are burning it to get rid of it. $1.96 a gallon price will go up do to greed, but oil will also go down because we will have enough in the US not to need other countries as suppliers. GM of course has horrible quality issues and bad integration of the tanks into the trucks chasis so they don't really mean for the public to adopt this type of vehicle. Eight foot bed with 3 feet of tank.  

 

     Six months ago natural gas was spit on by the media and the general public. Today the light bulb is starting to blink on for most people. Sad that many other countries are all already doing this and we act like it's some new revelation. Might need to pick up some CNG stock.

Apr 18, 2012 8:25AM
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No GM truck is worth $40k. My last one was more than that, towed my 10,000 lb. boat like it was only 1,000 lbs. but leaked oil, tranny fluid and brake fluid like it had been shot up with bullets. When Toyota was socked with the "unintended acceleration scandal" and their sales dipped, I RAN to the dealership to trade in my POS GM and got a smokin deal on my Highlander, that ended my trips to the service department.
  CNG or not, It will be along time before I give money to GM again.

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