Select 2016 Chevy Silverados, GMC Sierras to Offer Affordable Hybrid Electrical System

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Chevrolet today announced that a select number of 2016 Silverados will be offered with eAssist technology, a new hybrid electrical system that can help deliver up to 13 percent better fuel economy in city driving. GMC also announced today the 2016 Sierra 1500 will be also available with eAssist technology.

Sandor Piszar, marketing director for Chevy Trucks, says the 2016 Silverados eAssist system was developed with components including battery cells from the Malibu Hybrid and the software controls developed for the Volt.

“For customers and small-business owners who use their trucks for more urban driving, the addition of eAssist can further reduce their fuel costs without sacrificing the utility they expect in a full-size truck,” Piszar says.

Piszar says the eAssist system has an electric motor that offers supplemental power during acceleration and passing, along with stop/start capabilities and regenerative braking, in which the energy recovered while braking is converted to electricity to recharge the onboard battery system.

He says the system increases curb weight by about 100 pounds, and delivers an additional 13 horsepower and nearly 45 pounds per feet of torque. The eAssist propulsion system, including the eight-speed automatic transmission, will cost $500.

Initially, Chevy will offer about 500 Silverado eAssist trucks for the 2016 model year, exclusively through California dealers. Piszar says based on feedback from the initial customers, Chevy will adjust production for the 2017 model year.

The eAssist system will also be available on 200 2016 Sierra 1500 SLT crew cab 2WD models with the SLT Premium Plus package, offered exclusively in California.

“(The eAssist) advantages are delivered in a compromise-free package that enables real-world fuel savings with premium content that provides a very high level of refinement, comfort, and connectivity,” says Duncan Aldred, vice president of sales and marketing for GMC.

Aldred says the Sierra with eAssist offers an estimated 18 miles per gallon in the city, a two-mile-per-gallon improvement. The 5.3-liter eAssist V8 produces an estimated 355 horsepower and more than 380 pounds per feet of torque. ​