The next-generation Chevy Silverado is expected to offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain option, a first for Chevy trucks. However, details are limited on exactly what kind of hybrid the 2027 Silverado Hybrid will be. We can say with confidence that it will be fuelled by both gas and electricity, but should it be a PHEV or an EREV?
Although a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) are similar, and one could argue they’re kind of the same thing, there’s an important difference setting them apart. In a traditional PHEV, the wheels can be powered by a gas engine, electric motors, or a hybrid of both. In an EREV, the wheels are powered exclusively by electric motors, while the gas engine acts as an onboard generator that juices up the battery once depleted. If a PHEV is a middle ground between ICE and EV, then an EREV is a middle ground between PHEV and EV.
GM’s own Chevy Volt and Cadillac ELR can be considered EREVs, although that’s a subject of debate. These prototypical plug-in vehicles can power the wheels with their ICE engines, but that only happens in limited circumstances at high speeds. The primary role of their ICE engines was to generate power for the battery; electrons always power the wheels under normal conditions. GM could be using these compact hybrids, as well as their overseas plug-in offerings, as blueprints for the 2027 Silverado Hybrid.
The main advantage of an EREV over a PHEV is typically a longer all-electric range. For example, the upcoming Ram 1500 Ramcharger is an EREV with a claimed all-electric range of about 145 miles thanks to a battery pack that’s bigger than what you normally find in a PHEV. Its grand total range is a whopping 690 miles when the gas tank and battery are both full. The idea is to deliver the performance and efficiency advantages of an EV without the range anxiety, especially when towing.
The Ram 1500 Ramcharger is an interesting entry in Ram’s product portfolio, slotted between the traditional, ICE-powered Ram 1500 and the expensive, all-electric Ram REV. Official pricing isn’t out yet for the Ramcharger, but it’s a safe bet that it will be priced between those two trucks.
So, which type of plug-in powertrain should GM go with for the 2027 Silverado Hybrid? A PHEV with a smaller EV battery would probably have a lower cost, but an EREV with a longer all-electric range would have range and efficiency benefits. Which do you think makes more sense for a full-size pickup? Let us know in the comments.
Comments
Neither. It should get a 35 gallon fuel tank.
GM had a hybrid Silverdo like 10+ years ago. What happened to that?
@ Moe
My brother in law has it! It’s a 2018 5.3L e-assist. Gave it 44 more ft lbs of TQ and 13 more HP. He loves it. Gets around 18 mpgs in his city driving, and over 24 out on the highway. He came up this past weekend and has only 45k miles on it! I have read on some forums it’s a sot after vehicle. GM should really be looking into this
sought after
Thanks for fixing my mistake! SOUGHT
I think he was referring to the 2012-2013 Silverado hybrid with the Atkinson cycle 6.0 and Mercedes 4 speed. Those made 24/20/22 and struggled to sell because they were a significant upcharge that never paid for itself unless you lived in LA county, and offered no power or towing advantage.
The Eboost Silverado was a limited edition and was only available in 2wd and I think with the 3.08 rear axle and as such weren’t great at towing or off road, and only 15000 were made (going off memory) and all were sold in California. Also, like RAMS Etorque, the power doesn’t compound, so you get a little better throttle response, but no extra performance. Also like RAM, it was costly for GM. When they get solid state batteries perfected, and they can delete the normal starting system, this might become a standard affair, but right now, and for this next generation, will likely be like stop start. A way of meeting emission requirements.
@Steve 29
His is a 2018 LT, 4×4 with 3.23 rear axle and 8 speed transmission. Not many were made, I believe it had only a 2 year run with 18 being that final year.
Sot = habitual drunkard.
It wasn’t a PHEV cause you couldn’t plug it in.
It basically went by the wayside due to cost/benefit ratio at the time.
2004 Silverado & Sierra Hybrids began
Then there was a Malibu Hybrid
Saturn GreenLines after that
There were also Yukon and Escalade Hybrids along the line…
EREV, simpler setup, no tranny needed. Instant torque, smaller battery than EV yet full electric for day-to-day driving. 5-6 cents/mile cost to drive when charged at home verses 20-30 cents per mile for gas. Gas if needed when towing or long-distance travel and don’t want to stop to charge. I love our EV but don’t want the hassle of trying to charge my truck when towing with little to no pull through public charges.
Disagree, as an Erev requires 3 electric drive members, front, rear and generator head. The front and rear also have active transaxles with a park pawl, reduction and cooling system. A direct hybrid features 1 motor that bolts directly to the motor, acts as motor and generator. If it was really cheaper, just like EV’s were supposed to be “simpler” thus “cheaper” then everyone would have done this back in the 1990’s with the GM EV1.
Disagree. Removal of the transmission is a HUGE advantage. You no longer need to use a tow/haul mode to protect the transmission from overheating, and there are far fewer parts that could break. People say PHEV is the best of both worlds, but in terms of maintenance and repairs, it’s actually the worst of both worlds. EREV is the way to go. You can also design and tune the generator to be super efficient and durable because it only needs to operate at one speed. That’s why EREV is the powertain of choice for trains and has been for years.
How much does hybrid add to the price of a standard ICE Silverado? With gas below $3 I can’t see anyway it pays off. Plus, who wants to pay to maintain two propulsion systems that have many more moving parts? Not me, simpler is better. It’s another costly boondoggle from GM.
Mel: At some point, we (as a society) must accept that we can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing. The earth just can’t keep it up. If we choose to just keep doing the same old thing, it won’t matter what “boondoggle” things are out there.
So even at $3.00 per gallon, an EV still operates for less money and more efficiently than any gas or diesel engine. Not my opinion, but real life fact. But even if gas is $3.00 per gallon, it’s what comes out the back end that is killing us and the earth.
🙄
Enter tree hugger lies
Did you send this message via smoke signal? Telegraph? Bro, the future is coming whether you like it or not…
Enter the Luddite lies.
@Sparky
WOW!! You need to go outside and hug a tree for sure!
This goes back to the 2012 Silverado hybrid. Id look at what the upcharge was and adjust for inflation and calculate from there.
This also goes to the Prius sales pre -EV mania. All the budget conscious buyers were still just buying bland sedans and it was only the Greenpeace tree hugging hippies who would shell out the dough for that extra 4-5 mpg. In short, unless you do purely NY style city driving or live in LA county and pay 5$/gallon, it doesn’t pay off over the life of the vehicle.
If simpler is better, then full EV is the way to go as it is by far the most simple power train with the fewest parts to maintain or replace. What you said about maintaining two propulsion systems applies to the PHEV, but not so much the EREV as there is really one one propulsion system; there is just also a generator present.
I would like a plain Hybrid with a 35-gallon fuel tank. Gasoline costs are not a big part of my budget so mpg is not a big concern but range on a tank of gas is a big deal. I want to be able to drive 700-miles on a tank of gas. Also, I want a naturally aspirated engine and do not care for the turbocharged angle. So my choice would be a plain hybrid with a naturally aspirated V-8 engine.
You got my vote
My dream would be a pairing of the 3L Duramax and a mild hybrid system with a small amount of electric-only range for city driving.
If only GM will listen.
It should be an EREV Silverado.
No plug ins-! that’s just plain stupid-! A hybrid working together with a gas engine to give you better fuel economy in and around town and use the hybrid to assist in towing and to keep the transmission from having to down shift.
No, a plain hybrid is stupid. Ford is milking money from their customers by convincing them to pay extra for hybrids that only offer marginally better efficiency at best but cost a fortune to maintain due to the dual propulsion systems. EREV is the way to go because the maintenance and operating cost will be very similar to full EV except when making road trips.
If those were my only two choices, I’d prefer the EREV.
While we’re speculating about fiction, can I request we drop in a supercharger twin wasp?
Problem is these categories confuse people! Because people get anxious without a tranny, PHEV is probably smarter. Should be marketed as an Ultra Hybrid to avoid Volt, CT6 and Honda Clarity fate.
Verbs, in general, could eliminate range anxiety. I’m not convinced US will ever be 100% EV. Unlike China and EV N America has a lot of oil
First GM will offer many options so everyone has what they want. What the EREV/w PHEV brings in addition to extra range is onboard power. The Ford and RamCharger bring this – 7.2kw I believe. Those towing campers and contractors will take advantage of this for sure – real range and onsite power. I wonder how these will stack up with emission credits?
EREV !
An EREV will be an EV with no engine use for in-town driving and ICE (gas) for highway driving and towing.
We own both a Gen2 VOLT (EREV) and a Toyota RAV4 Prime (PHEV) and keep records of fuel use since new. Both plug-in at home on a Level 1 or Level 2 charger and never use a ‘public charger’. The VOLT shows 176 MPG ( 69.8 MPGe ) the RAV4 Prime calculated lifetime is 96 MPG. The Toyota doesn’t report a lifetime MPGe which I would estimate at about 45 – 50 MPGe based on the fact that the engine will start and run a ‘warm-up cycle’ especially in the mornings even though operating as an EV would otherwise be satisfactory.
In terms of operation, I consider the RAV4 Prime an Extended-range Hybrid-electric Vehicle (ERHEV)! The difference fuel mileage as far as I can tell is because the RAV4 Prime uses a Parallel-drive configuration where as the VOLT uses a Series-drive configuration. The EREV VOLT generates electricity for the drive motor when the 18.4 Kwh battery is depleted or when the driver wants to use gasoline in order to preserve battery power of later in-town use.
Honestly, the EREV makes much more sense on paper – it’s “mostly” EV for the environment, but doesn’t limit you as far as distance, towing, hauling, or usage.
However, I’m an ICE-lovin car guy who does not want to lose the sound of my 6.2L revving out, and so I think a true PHEV version will appeal more in the driving experience, stay truer to today’s typical experience, plus offer the benefit of plugging in at home for cheap ‘top-up’s’ and, ideally, electric power output for contractors and campers.
But really, ANYthing to not have to buy a mostly-useless pure EV truck.
Forget all the complicated expensive stuff! Go Hydrogen/ICE once and for all.
If GM would have done this before they would be way ahead.
Most hydrogen (H2) in use today is manufactured from natural gas (Methane).
If a compressed or liquified gas is to be used for an internal combustion engine ( ICE ), rather than spending the cost and energy necessary to ‘manufacture’ H2 from methane, use the methane directly as fuel. This would be as compressed natural gas ( CNG ) or liquified natural gas ( LNG ). There at least three good reasons for using methane:
Supply – the U.S. has abundant sources
Distribution – there currently exists an extensive pipeline network of over a million miles in the U.S. serving industries, businesses and homes
Optimum fuel – 120 octane, easily adaptable to existing ICE technology and vehicle design, low exhaust gas emission concerns compared to gasoline.
CNG & LNG could be used as the fuel source in Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid vehicles as the means of transitioning from gasoline. Additionally, this would allow time for the evolution of more efficient battery\energy storage for electric vehicles.
Funny this comes up today as I was talking to a family member that has a high dollar Ford hybrid pickup truck. He hates it. His 23 year son doesn’t even want it and wants to keep their five year gas powered truck instead of trading dad for the new truck. Give them several years to work the kinks out.
The Ford hybrid sucks because it’s a traditional hybrid and not an EREV. It’s only gimmic is acting like a generator for your house. Other than that, it’s a gas vehicle that’s more expensive to maintain.
EREV on the current Silverado EV platform!
Currently I have a 2020 Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 Duramax. Great truck, tows our 26ft camper with ease. I had the pleasure of driving a Silverado EV RST 1st edition for 24 hrs. It was a whole lot of fun. An EREV while towing a camper would be my next target. Love the mid-gate feature that would have come in handy last weekend if I had that truck. And you do notice the weight on the EV truck.
We have an ID4 and love driving the EV around town. Driving the diesel around town and short trips really not the best option long term. EV driving around town is better all around. When going the distance while towing, dino juice is better when towing since the charging network is not disigned for EV towing and fast charging.
So Chevy, give us and EREV on the current Silverado EV platform, and I will be a happy camper in 2027 as we are planning a camping trip out west (7.2 kW on board power for the camper). And for gods sake, give us better seats; it is the only thing I hate on in my truck are the seats.
2013 Volt owner since 2016. EREV is fantastic, but they do need to make the transition from ICE charging the battery to direct ICE (“Mountain mode”) proactively when the charging can’t keep up. Have to skip that “propulsion power reduced” state that requires a manual mode change. Gotta completely prevent it – it’d be a deal breaker for a truck. So PHEV setup is probably better, but give them more juice so they can have the range of a EREV. Yes, I want the best of both worlds. I just wish they had done this 10 years ago so used ones would be affordable by now.
Haven’t had this ‘issue’ with our Gen2 VOLT. ‘Mountain Mode’ can be selected to build-up some charge to be held in reserve for a strenuous hill climb or for later ‘in-town’ EV use but in seven years, we’ve never experienced the “propulsion power reduced” notification or any lack of power when needed. Situations causing the notification you describe probably were addressed by GM with the development of the Gen2 Voltec System. We really are impressed by our VOLT!