I guess I should wait till 2014 and get the 15% better fuel mileage version of the Super Duty.

Obama sets first fuel rules for big trucks, buses -- even HD pickups - Drive On - USATODAY.com




Yea right.......

 

more like the neutered version is more like it. They will have to shed quite a bit of weight which will mean a lower rating and..even more emissions it sounds like.

 

Hybrid...you heard it here

 

Old news... Ford is teaming up with another company to install their hybrid equipment into a Super Duty.

 

I would be curious where that technology will land. The super duties are a good platform to "test" the hybrid technology on. After all, they are the more popular "work horses" out there. Whether the hybrid technology makes it as an industry standard or an "option", now thats another issue. I wouldn't pay an extra $40,000 for a hybrid SD.

What is most interesting to me about that idea is how they expect to make power with a hybrid. They do fine in commuter cars, as of current "technology", but cars aren't pulling anything or hauling anything. There was a 1/2 ton chevy truck that split off 4 cylinders when it didn't need them. That was a decent idea, but from what I know it never took off. I don't know if that was due to not selling many of them, durability issues, or a combination. Who knows - maybe the hybrid technology will go somewhere. If the "engineers" can get some power out of it, while maintaining efficiency, then there would be a leg to stand on at least.

 

I have a 2008 Durange (not hybrid but has the 5.7 Hemi) which does this - Dodge calls this "Fuel Saver" on the display when it enables. My wife, the primary driver of this vehicle, doesn't mind the functionality but I do not care for it... at times the function bounces on/off, not to mention the ever so slight hesitation when switching from on to off.

Sorry -

-Bit

 

It's going to be interesting. The Big 3 have all agreed to comply with the SAE J2807 towing standards in 2013 and it just seems like "fuel savings" and "heavy hauling" are almost mutually exclusive. In addition to trimming weight, another tactic will be to get rid of the 4.10 and 4.30 axle ratios.

Ford is already claiming 18% fuel increase for model year 2011, if they have to go another 15% by 2014, that will be 33% in 3 years.

The plus side is with that kind of fuel savings, maybe we can afford to drive these trucks - if we can afford to buy them with all the fuel savings tricks they'll have to come up with.

 

There was another article in Detroit News (IIRC) and it said hybrid technology; that is great if you want to pay extra for same. I don't.

Maybe that is why the Super Duty is getting better mpg than GM's HD's; they are sandbagging so they won't need as much improvement. Government Motors new it was coming

I agree with Senix; and I don't want a neutered truck.

Bob

 

The Cost of the New trucks will be Staggering!
I'm glad I got mine now.

Why roll the dice when these are as close to perfect as you can get!

Shane

 

Pickup trucks had an article this morning that said the government is estimating the new rules will cost $165 per truck for the pickups. Guess we'll have to wait and see what the manufacturers actually tack on.

 

There's different meanings of hybrid, and more than one way to save on fuel with one. Back in '09 there was a story on a PUTC about a Ford experiment with a gas-ethanol hybrid that direct-injected gas or, during heavy loads, both. The ethanol helped with detonation. I could get behind the idea of a 500hp hybrid that gets better mileage than a 5.4LV8.

Sneak Peek! Ford's "Bobcat" Dual Fuel Engine - PickupTrucks.com News

 

I recall reading a post from one of the senior users on here. He speculated that possibly something along the lines of a diesel electric like a locomotive, might be the future. With this concept, how big a diesel motor would you need to drive a genset that would be big enough to give you the power to pull some of the loads we like to pull. Could this even fit in a super duty platform and at a price that we could afford? I don't have any experience or knowledge with gensets or electric drive systems so forgive me if this is a stupid question. Just curious.

 

No one said it was new info, but thanks for the kind words.

 

Your welcome...

 

I'm all for increased fuel economy, but it should be the consumer asking for it from Ford not the government telling them they HAVE to do it. Personally I don't think any of the big 3 should loose sight of whats most important - capability. I don't care how good the fuel economy goes up if it makes to tow rating go down. If I'm looking for economy only I'd be driving a Volkswagen diesel. But of course if they could figure a way to keep up the performance with more mpg then I would be in full support.