Hybrid Pickup Trucks: Who Makes Them And Should I Buy One?

As the world of car manufacturing grows, we can expect great changes in pickup trucks as they go hybrid. There are quite a few different selections of hybrid pickup trucks. While some can be more expensive than others, they still provide an overall quality unlike any other.

Currently, car manufacturers Ford, Ram, Chevrolet, GMC, Toyota, and Honda have made hybrid trucks. Hybrid trucks are becoming popular because of their fuel effiency of an average of 41 miles per gallon and economical long-lasting battery. More manufacters are likely to follow suit.

Below we’ll be going over what hybrid pickup trucks are like in their overall manufacturing qualities, problems and/or advice you should be aware of when looking through the market, and popular questions readers like you most likely want to be answered. Then, in conclusion, I’ll be giving you an in-depth answer on whether or not purchasing a hybrid pick-up will be the best option.

Different Kinds Of Hybrid Pickup Trucks

Let’s take a look at your best options!

Best 3 Hybrid Pickup Trucks Available

1. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is limited in availability as the standard version has a V8 engine with a capacity of 5.3 liters and an engine of 295 horsepower. The electric generator produces over 14,000 watts to help increase the fuel economy. As the truck possesses an electric motor, the transition from diesel/gasoline becomes smooth with the electric power stored.

The 2020 model has an engine that varies between 6.2 liters V8 and 4.3 liters V6 along with 3.0 liters for turbo diesel and 2.7 liters turbo. This overall makes the truck have excellent fuel economy. Horsepower comes up to 355 and a 36-month/36,000 miles warranty along with a 15 camera view system for towing, trailing, and give safety. 

Safety Features Included: 

• Front and rear parking assist
• Lane keep assist
• Automatic emergency braking
• Forward collision alert
• Front pedestrian braking

2. GMC Sierra 1500, which made its debut in 2005, is a truck that possesses a dual-mode hybrid system enabling the gasoline-powered engine and electric motors to work both separately or together. The milage has 379 in horsepower with the four-wheel-drive having great automatic transmission with its 6-liter V8 engine. 

The battery pack has two electric motors that are able to produce a 300-volt battery. The battery is located under the rear seat to help with truck balance in lightweight. In a city, the truck will consume 20 mpg and 23 mpg on a highway while also allowing an electric boost for a max speed of 30mph. In case of an accident, the truck has high-end front and side airbags including traction and stability controls. 

The two downsides of this type of hybrid is the low towing capacity and limited availability statewide.

Other Included Features:

• MP3 player
• Satellite radio
• Navigation system
• Bluetooth input

3. The Hybrid Ford F-150 depends on more electric power and less diesel/gasoline.

Having a higher off-road and towing power, this pickup is more versatile in its fuel efficiency. The Hybrid Ford comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery enough to supply power to many tools with a max power capacity of 110 volts. The truck can hold 3.5 liters in gasoline, runs at 375 horsepower, and is installed with a V6 engine.

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What are Hybrids?

Hybrids are vehicles that use more than one form of propulsion – meaning it combines a conventional petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor and battery.

This causes the vehicle to consume less fuel and emit less CO2 than a regular diesel-engined car. Those who own a hybrid can expect to have benefits such as first-year road tax and company car tax lowered and avoiding congestion charades.

The pickup hybrid trucks have had lots of transformation features in their models resulting in a widespread production in technology for diesel engines and electric motors. Having these power sources be extremely fast in horsepower and automatic for the hybrid trucks using V6 or V8 gasoline-powered making the fuel economy fantastic.

There are three types of batteries in hybrid cars such as parallel, range extender, and plug in.

Parallel Hybrids

As the most common, the Toyota Prius has its wheels powered by the engine, the electric motor alone, or both power sources together.

Pulling away at 15mph, the Prius uses the electric motor making it very economical while the petrol engine cuts when speed increases during hard acceleration. When decelerating the brakes the braking system makes electricity to store in the battery for later use. The battery itself can store up to 1.25 miles of electric motor power.

Range Extender Hybrids

These types of hybrids only use the conventional engine to make electricity for the generator for recharging the batteries. The engine never drives the car as it only uses energy for the electric motor. An example of this car is the BMW i3 in the further driving distance as it is categorized as strong or mild depending on the battery power and having more battery capacity.

Plug-In Hybrids

These types of hybrids are plugged into an electric outlet to recharge the batteries though they can also charge on the go. They are between conventional hybrids and completely electric vehicles as they have a conventional engine with larger batteries than regular hybrids. This helps the car to travel longer distances on average up to 30 miles with the electric power alone.

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Cons To Be Aware Of

1. The entire concept of owning a hybrid vehicle can seem outdated as it was supposed to be the “best of both worlds” where you didn’t harm the environment but could still use gas and the electric battery to run your car.
2. Hybrid vehicles are more expensive than regular gas-powered cars and electric cars. You will be charged more than a combustion car and range.
3. You will be paying more in the end instead of keeping the environment healthy. –Source
4. You’re looking to be buying a hybrid car the average price is $4,650 more than a gas-powered car. This is because they are expensive to make and the price is included by how much the manufacturer passes on. Though you will need to check in other hybrid cars that have different maintenance costs and reliability estimates.

Hybrid cars will result in you putting in more money even though it’s been advertised that you can save on gas. Depending on the gas station price you would be spending about $40 weekly.

Popular Questions For Hybrid Pickups

What happens when my hybrid battery dies? Can I still drive?

The Prius works off a parallel system so the fas and electric engines work simultaneously. If the battery dies you could still drive but it will be weaker and feel like a less smooth drive. There are other hybrid systems that require a 12-volt battery that may not work if the hybrid battery dies. If your car does start you risk the car losing power and dying on the road. It’s best to take the car to the dealership if something is wrong. Source

Are hybrid car maintenance costs higher?

Generally, hybrid cars don’t cost more to maintain than conventional cars so long as the warranty is current.

How long does a hybrid car battery last?

Fortunately, all hybrid cars come with a warranty for their batteries from up to 8 to 10 years along with 100,000 miles of driving. If the hybrid has fewer miles than 100,000 it will still be covered by the manufacturer.

Why aren’t there more hybrid pickup trucks available?

They are hard to find overall though the market still has potential and because of the change from fossil fuels to electricity, they are expensive to manufacture.

What is the resale value of hybrid cars?

They do tend to have a high resale value than traditional gas-powered cars though you will get more money for the car if you sell privately than trading it.

Are hybrids more expensive to insure?

This will vary by the insurer as some will give a lower premium to hybrid owners since typical drivers don’t always speed and are safe drivers. Though there are insurers that will charge higher on hybrids because most things can potentially break. It’s best to check with your current insurance to see what they would do for a hybrid then check with Liberty mutual to see if you’re being overcharged by the insurer.

Is it good to buy a used hybrid?

It can as you will be saving money but you need to see what the warranty on the car is and if it’s able to be transferrable to you as the new owner.

Can a conventional hybrid vehicle run on electricity when it runs out of fuel?

No, because it is not designed to run without gasoline. If you do this could cause incredible damage to the hybrid system. Though a hybrid car can still operate in electric-only when gas is in the tank. Source

Should You Buy One?

In most cases, hybrid pickup trucks and cars tend to be more expensive than regular ones. On average the price difference is about $4,000 because of the overall high manufacturing. Though hybrid cars will make an appearance every year on the market, finding a hybrid truck, being in limited demand, will prove to be very difficult. Though the fuel economy still remains to be outstanding overall for pickup trucks.

You will be saving time by not going to the gas station as much and you could drive in the HOV lane to save time on traffic. If you want to do the environment some good then you’ll be providing a smaller carbon release. Companies will also give hybrid owners their own parking spots with other perks in mind.

Other than that, you would have to worry about potential battery replacements, systems possibly breaking, and higher insurance. If you want to save on gas and be better for the environment, overall it’s an ok purchase overall. Needless to say, they can be just as reliable as normal vehicles.