GM’s current system switches between an infinitely variable transmission and four fixed gears, lending it the 2-Mode nomenclature. With the next-gen system being deemed a “four-mode,” there’s a chance electric motors could be more involved with the truck’s propulsion.
“It’s all about any hybrid system,” John Turzewski, GM’s lead development engineer for full-size truck hybrids, told PickupTrucks.com. “As you evolve and go through your next generation, it’s cost reduction, smaller, lighter, and better packaging. There’s lots of improvement all along those lines.”
Fuel economy is likely to be one of those improvements. PickupTrucks.com reports the next-generation hybrid system will improve EPA figures on the full-size trucks, along with increasing their towing capacities (figures around 9000 pounds have been suggested).
Turzewski didn’t give PickupTrucks.com any specifics on the four-mode hybrid, but it’s expected to be available by 2013.
Source: PickupTrucks.com