If you want a green truck at the moment, your options are limited.
By their nature, trucks require large engines, and large engines use a lot of fuel. Until electric and range-extended trucks become a realistic proposition, your best option is either hybrid, or alternative fuels--such as GM's Bi-Fuel range.
GM has announced pricing for its Chevrolet and GMC bi-fuel extended cab heavy-duty trucks, with the compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks costing $11,000 more than their single-fuel counterparts.
That takes the price of a Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD from $30,590 to $41,590, and the GMC Sierra 2500HD from $29,100 to $40,100.
GM says the bi-fuel option offers fueling flexibility, with combined CNG and gasoline range of more than 650 miles--the longest in the bi-fuel truck market.
With CNG costing the equivalent of $1.89 per gallon of gasoline, it's easy to see the appeal for business users and private customers. GM predicts that customers could save between $5,000 and $10,000 over a three-year period, depending on their driving habits.
The trucks will also be covered by GM's 3-year, 36,000-mile warranty and five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain and emissions warranty.
If you want to avoid fossil fuels as much as possible, your best bet is the Bob Lutz-backed Via Motors, whose range-extended truck will do up to 40 miles using no gasoline at all.
You'll have to pay for the privilege--Via predicts a price of $79,000 if sufficient orders are received--but it's sure to be one of the cleanest trucks on the market.
Via Motors is taking orders now, but if you'd like to stick to the more traditional bi-fuel trucks, GMC and Chevrolet's order books are also now open.
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