General Motors CNG Truck Package Costs Extra $11,000
General Motors announced pricing for its bi-fuel Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 heavy-duty pickup trucks today, saying the vehicles will cost $11,000 above base price.
Customers may begin placing orders for the CNG trucks on March 19 and will be available in standard or longbox configurations with either two- or four-wheel drive.
“The announcement of the bi-fuel Silverado and Sierra has been well-received among customers, which sends a clear message that businesses are looking for alternative fuel options to meet their needs,” said Ed Peper, general manager, GM Fleet and Commercial Operations. “The addition of the full-size bi-fuel pickups to our product portfolio is part of our commitment to offer great products, innovative business solutions and an exceptional customer experience.”
Running on either compressed natural gas (CNG) or gasoline, the trucks are powered by a 6.0-liter V8 that can seamlessly transition between fuels. Doing so will allow for between $5,000 and $10,000 in savings annually, according to GM. Although the trucks are initially more expensive, over time the reduced fuel costs will save money for the businesses that use them.
“Businesses are looking for ways to control their costs while reducing vehicle emissions and becoming less dependent on fluctuating gas prices. The low cost of ownership makes these vehicles a realistic solution,” said Joyce Mattman, director, GM Commercial Product and Specialty Vehicles. “CNG has maintained a significantly lower retail price than either gasoline or diesel. The current average price of CNG is equivalent to $1.89 per gallon of gasoline.”
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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No cng pumpsin Maine
This is nothing new to the GM or Ford market. However, the public could not buy them. Only fleets could due to the clean air act signed by the president some years back. That forced all fleets to have an alternate fuel vehicle. Back in the year 2000 I leased one through our company I worked for. I then bought it later. Drove it for 9 years using the CNG mainly. However, I had access to the fuel on site. Paid for it on site. There are many locations that carry the CNG products but even then they were few and far between. I was a Fleet person who purchased these for the company I worked for. The option cost was only 5,400 per truck. But in the long haul during the high gas costs even back then I paid $1.25 an equivalent gallon. I was able to get on the highway around 195 miles before running out. But then the truck kicks into Gasoline until you are able to refuel. If the infrastructure gets better this would be work looking into. Then if GM wants 11K more for this I guess on top of the cost of the vehicle this truck will be worth 46K new. Now this again is way out of my reach. Lastly, I plowed with my old truck and towed while on CNG fuel. You will not notice the difference.