The Chevy Silverado headed for the battlefield: Hydrogen powered version of the pickup set for Army trials
- Silverado ZH2 is a heavy duty version of the pickup truck designed for battle
- Will have more than 400 miles of range, and be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell
Chevy's Silverado is headed to the battlefield - but in a very different configuration.
The car giant's recently formed military vehicles division teased the 'Chevrolet Silverado ZH2,' a heavy duty version of the pickup powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
It will have more than 400 miles of range and 'race proven multimatic dynamic suspension' for traversing desert hills and snowy and rocky landscapes, according to a promotional video.
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Hydrogen powered version of Chevy Silverado set for Army trials
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SILVERADO SPECS
Chevy's battlefield Silverado is equipped with three tanks of hydrogen
They are used by a Hydrotec-branded fuel cell that generates electricity
It operates silently
Will offer a 400-mile range The video was first shown last month at the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting & Exposition along with a chassis of the truck.
If produced, the Silverado ZH2 would be at least the second military-specific pickup. The first was the fuel cell-powered Chevrolet Colorado ZH2, which the U.S. Army started testing in April 2017.
Chevrolet says it will be 'the first heavy duty truck architecture capable of supporting the next generation of vehicle requirements for higher payload, flexible configuration, longer range, and faster re-fueling times with more compact & capable propulsion system.
'Hydrogen fuel-cell technology allows ground vehicles to operate silently, with zero emissions, reduced thermal signature, & 10 times longer on a single recharge.'
Instead of a battery pack, the Silverado is equipped with three tanks of hydrogen for a Hydrotec-branded fuel cell that generates electricity and provides stealthy, but powerful performance over a 400-mile range.
Chevrolet says it will be 'the first heavy duty truck architecture capable of supporting the next generation of vehicle requirements for higher payload, flexible configuration, longer range, and faster re-fueling times with more compact & capable propulsion system.
Instead of a battery pack, the Silverado is equipped with three tanks of hydrogen for a Hydrotec-branded fuel cell that generates electricity and provides stealthy, but powerful performance over a 400-mile range.
Along with its quiet operation, the powertrain has a lower heat signature than an internal combustion engine, making it stealthier.
'Ultra quiet vehicle operation with low thermal signature, no smoke & odorless' are among the features Chevrolet says it could have.
GM is also developing a self driving version of its truck that resembles a truck trailer with no cabin.
Called SURUS, for Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure, it is powered by two electric motors and four-wheel steering.
Chevrolet says it will have 'race proven multimatic dynamic suspension' for traversing desert hills and snowy and rocky landscapes, according to a promotional video.
It is designed to be flexible enough to be reconfigured for various missions, powerful enough to replace the trucks that drag heavy things around today's battlefields, and agnostic about whether it is driven by a human, remote control, or an autonomous driving module.
GM has spent $3.5 billion over the years to develop fuel cells, and are now close to commercializing the technology.
The company plans to open a Michigan-based assembly line that will manufacturing fuel cells for a joint venture it has with Honda.
VW declares war on Tesla with plans to dramatically undercut Elon Musk's car firm with $23,000 electric vehicle
Volkswagen plans to dramatically undercut Tesla in a bid to take on Elon Musk's electric car firm.
Reuters claims the firm is planning to sell its 'MEB entry' vehicle for just £22,836 (20,000 euros) and plans to make 200,000 of them a year.
Tesla's base Model 3 will cost $35,000 - but is not yet available, with the cheapest version on sale costing $45,000.
Volkswagen will manufacture 10 million cars that are affordable and all-electric. All of them will be based on its modular MEB platform, which includes the 'ID' concept cars (pictured). Reuters claims the firm is planning to sell its 'MEB entry' vehicle for just £22,836 (20,000 euros) and plans to make 200,000 of them a year.
WHERE IS TESLA'S $35,000 MODEL 3
Tesla recently introduced a new $45,000 version of its Model 3 sedan on its website, launching the car as U.S. tax breaks for Tesla cars are about to decrease.
however, it is not expected to begin selling the much anticipated base $35,000 model until next year.
According to the website, the rear-wheel-drive model has a 'mid range' battery, a range of 260 miles, 50 miles less than the long-range battery that the more expensive Model 3 is equipped with.
It hopes to protect German jobs by converting three factories to make Tesla rivals, a source familiar with the plans said.
VW and other carmakers are struggling to adapt quickly enough to stringent rules introduced after the carmaker was found to have cheated diesel emissions tests, with its chief executive Herbert Diess warning last month that Germany's auto industry faces extinction.
Plans for VW's electric car, known as 'MEB entry' and with a production volume of 200,000 vehicles, are due to be discussed at a supervisory board meeting on Nov. 16, the source said.
Another vehicle, the I.D. Aero, will be built in a plant currently making the VW Passat, a mid-sized sedan, the source said.The Wolfsburg-based carmaker, which declined to comment on the plans, is also expected to discuss far-reaching alliances with battery cell manufacturer SK Innovation and rival Ford, the source said.
Volkswagen introduced its MEB-based I.D concept cars in March. The lineup includes the I.D Vizzion sedan, I.D hatchback, I.D Crozz SUV and the I.D Buzz Microbus
The November 16 strategy meeting will discuss Volkswagen's transformation plan to shift from being Europe's largest maker of combustion engine vehicles into a mass producer of electric cars, another source familiar with the deliberations said.
VW's strategy shift comes as cities start to ban diesel engine vehicles, forcing carmakers to think of new ways to safeguard 600,000 German industrial jobs, of which 436,000 are at car companies and their suppliers.
An electric van, the ID Buzz, is due to be built at VW's plant in Hannover, where its T6 Van is made, the source said.
To free up production capacity for electric cars in Hannover, VW's transporter vans could be produced at a Ford plant in Turkey, if German labour unions, who hold half the seats on VW's board of directors, agree, the source added.
VW and Ford are in 'exploratory talks' about an alliance to develop self-driving and electric vehicles and to complement each other's global production and sales footprints, Reuters reported last month.
Tesla recently introduced a new $45,000 version of its Model 3 sedan on its website, launching the car as U.S. tax breaks for Tesla cars are about to decrease.
Ford has strong sales and profits in the United States thanks to its exposure to the lucrative pickup truck segment, while Volkswagen dominates the market for passenger cars in Europe.
The companies are considering cooperation deals in the areas of commercial, electric and autonomous vehicles, although a final agreement will unlikely be announced at the November 16 strategy meeting at Volkswagen, the second source said.
The details of a cooperation deal with Ford may take until the end of the year to be finalised, the second source said.
Volkswagen, like other German auto makers, is pushing into volume production of electric cars as U.S. rival Tesla struggles to scale up manufacturing of its Model 3. Pictured is the I.D Croz
The German carmaker will mainly focus on debating the merits of converting its VW factories in Emden, Zwickau and Hanover, which all build combustion-engined cars, to electric ones under the plans being discussed by the board of directors, the source said.
Carmakers in Germany agreed on Thursday to spend up to 3,000 euros ($3,430) per vehicle to add more efficient exhaust filtering systems to cut diesel emissions, but failed to prevent bans on diesel vehicles by Cologne and Bonn.
EU lawmakers have agreed to seek a 35 percent cut in car emissions by 2030 after a U.N. report called for dramatic steps to slow global warming.
Diess said to cut average fleet emissions of carbon dioxide in Europe by 30 percent by 2030, VW needs to raise its share of fully electric vehicles to 30 percent of new car sales.
The shift from combustion engines to electric cars would also cost 14,000 jobs at VW by 2020 as it takes less time to build an electric car than a conventional one and because jobs will shift overseas to battery manufacturers.
In Europe there are about 126 plants making combustion engines, employing 112,000 people. The largest such plant in Europe is VW's in Kassel.
WHAT IS VOLKSWAGEN'S 'I.D. VIZZION?'
In addition to the Sedric self-driving bus, Volkswagen also unveiled the I.D. Vizzion concept car at this year's Geneva Motor Show.
The firm is calling the I.D. Vizzion a 'smart lounge on wheels.'
It's fully electric and autonomous, with no steering wheel, pedals or dashboard.
The concept, which is not expected to be available for years, is Volkswagen's vision of the family car of the future.
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The car recognises its owners, opens the door for them and then adjusts the settings - such as music, temperature and lighting – to adapt to the personal preferences of the passengers.
The spacious interior of the car is meant to look and feel more like a lounge.
This means that parents can do some work - if their children are well behaved enough to let them - while they are chauffeured to school and then on to the office. Or they can just relax.
The car will also be fully electric, meaning it is much better for the environment than diesel or petrol powered cars.
Its output is around 300 horsepower with a 413-mile (665km) range.
