GM Expands Chevy-GMC Bi-Fuel Pickup Offerings, Unveils Chevy City Express Van

General Motors announced more bi-fuel versions of its Silverado Heavy Duty pickups and displaying some of them at the Chicago Auto Show.

The 2015 Silverado and GMC Sierra HD’s bi-fuel, gasoline-compressed natural gas offerings will now be available in all cab configurations, short and long box and two- and four-wheel drive models, in 2500HD and 3500HD series, the company says. It was introduced last year only as a 2500HD crew-cab 4x4.

GM’s 6-liter V-8 with hardened valves and valve seats allows the vehicle to operate on gasoline or compressed natural gas. The driver can switch between fuels at will; when the CNG tank is depleted, the system automatically switches to gasoline.

The Chevrolet and GMC bi-fuel pickups have a standard combined gasoline-CNG range of more than 650 miles, GM officials say.

With CNG currently priced about 62 percent less per gallon than gasoline, a work truck driven 26,000 miles a year can realize a fuel-cost savings of more than $2,000 annually, based on 75 percent CNG usage and comparable efficiency to gasoline, GM officials say.

The bi-fuel pickup trucks are available to order for both retail and commercial customers through Chevrolet and GMC dealers.

Chevrolet, meanwhile, unveiled its upcoming City Express compact van that will be supplied by Nissan North America. The van will be aimed at small businesses including supply stores and construction tradesmen, the company said.

City Express is based on the Nissan NV200 and features include a 2-liter, 16-valve dual overhead camshaft 4-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 131 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque, and is matched with a responsive and efficient continuously variable transmission.

The cargo area has 122.7 cubic feet of volume, and can be customized with bin and shelf packages to suit the specific needs of a customer. Six D-rings are affixed to the interior floor to secure cargo and there are six exterior roof rack mounting points.

Dual sliding side doors and 60-40 rear swing doors allow easy access to cargo. Floor height is less than 22 inches for easy loading and unloading.

The City Express will be at Chevy dealers this fall. PR