Chevy, GMC expands compressed natural gas versions of trucks, vans

PHOENIX — Chevrolet and GMC will offer new bi-fuel versions of the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty trucks and all-new dedicated compressed natural gas versions of the 2014 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size passenger vans next year.

The vehicles were announced at the Green Fleet Conference & Expo.

CNG is cheaper, cleaner but challenges remain

About the trucks

The bi-fuel versions of Silverado HD and Sierra HD — which are equipped to run on either gasoline or natural gas — expand the range of available configurations to 2500HD and 3500HD pickup models in all cab styles and 2WD and 4WD drivetrains.

The 2014 Express and Savana passenger vans join a CNG lineup that includes cargo versions of the vehicles.

Fully warranted

The CNG fuel tanks and complementing fuel systems used in the trucks and vans are installed by GM’s tier one supplier at a secondary location and delivered to customers from Chevrolet and GMC dealerships. The vehicles are fully warranted and validated by GM.

All major components associated with the CNG systems have GM service part numbers for availability throughout the dealer network.

Production for the bi-fuel trucks and CNG vans is scheduled to begin early next year.

Switch with a button

The trucks’ 6.0L V-8 engine features special hardened valves and valve seats that enables it to run on CNG or gasoline.

Separate fuel tanks enable the driver to switch between fuels at the push of a button. The system automatically switches to gasoline when the CNG tank is depleted.

Using both fuels, the trucks have an approximate total driving range of 650 miles.

The passenger vans offer seating for up to 15 people, plus room for their cargo. The vehicles are built with the same 6.0L V-8 as the bi-fuel Silverado and Sierra trucks, but equipped with dedicated CNG fuel systems — available in three- or four-tank models on cargo vans and exclusively with the three-tank design on the passenger van models.

The new CNG passenger vans offer an approximately 200-mile driving range, as do three-tank versions of the cargo vans. With the four-tank configuration, the range on the cargo vans extends to approximately 300 miles.