Ford made big news recently by getting its new Power Stroke F-150 to top 30 mpg, but could we ever see a full-size truck that approaches 40 mpg?
Ford made big news recently by getting its new Power Stroke F-150 to top 30 mpg, but could we ever see a full-size truck that approaches 40 mpg?
Believe it or not, this might be in the not-too-distant future, according to recent reports indicating that General Motors could be readying an opposed-piston engine for its next-gen Silverado and Sierra.
Talk about such an engine has been discussed for more than a year now, but it wasn't until recently that such news seemed credible.
Last year, Achates Power announced that it was developing an opposed-piston engine for passenger car use. Before this year's Detroit Auto Show, reports started to get more specific.
First, Motor Trend reported that nine automakers had signed on to be development partners with Achates, and another automaker had begun tooling up to build such an engine. Then, GM Authority found a tweet from an industry analyst suggesting GM could be that automaker.
The opposed-piston engine is somewhat similar to a Boxer engine, but instead of having a shared crankshaft and the pistons being horizontally opposed, this new engine features two pistons per cylinder. They're basically the same engines that are used in planes, trains, and submarines!
Following the initial launch of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, GM will reportedly introduce a 2.7-liter opposed-piston engine. Current estimates put power output at 260 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque, while fuel economy could be as high as 37 mpg!
GM's next-gen trucks will launch with six engine/transmission combinations including a 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six. To keep ahead of its rivals, adding an outside-the-box opposed-piston engine would give these trucks a huge advantage in fuel economy, maintenance and costs.
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