Report: GM Is Looking Into Alternatives To Diesel For Heavy Duty Trucks. Will They Catch On?

As the EPA tightens regulations on diesel emissions and forces automakers to equip diesel vehicles with Selective Catalyst Reduction technology, GM may be wondering if diesel has a place in the not-too-distant future. According to PickUpTrucks.com, GM is considering Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and liquid propane power as two possible substitutes to diesel.

The low-cost and zero emission nature of CNG or propane is hard to argue with, especially when looking at environmental aspects. In fact, GM once went down this road but discontinued the CNG option four years ago. But for this time around, however, The General will most likely outsource the project to a third party to develop the drivetrain.

There’s no doubt the new Chevy Silverado HD is a contender for the heavyweight truck title belt and the all-new 6.6-liter Duramax diesel and beefed up chassis are the ideal choice for any job. But not everyone needs all that power or wants to constantly remember about filling the DEF tank with the appropriate solution. And who wants to get the unleaded gasoline-powered version when fuel economy will not come close to that of the diesel? Then there are those people that just hate everything with an internal combustion engine engine because it emits… stuff. The CNG and liquid propane solutions would work to offset these downsides.

Additionally, according to GM lead truck honcho Jeff Luke, GM is even looking into bringing a bio-fuel engine to market that would run on both CNG and gasoline.