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The Army has long coveted the technology because it brings a combination of desperately-needed fuel efficiency and near-silent operation to the battlefield.
On the outside, it looks like a sporty version of a mid-sized Chevrolet pickup.
But the Army has little interest in its camouflage-chic paint job, its custom wheels or its knobby tires. The Army wants what’s under the hood. It is not a motor.
Looking for your own camouflaged beauty? Visit us online, contact our Customer Care Team at 630-898-9630 or drop by our showroom.
Meet the hydrogen-powered ZH-2, an experimental truck built by General Motors and recently tested by the Army at Fort Carson. It has no pistons, no cylinders. Instead it has a space-age fuel cell crammed under the hood that turns pure hydrogen into electricity to run the rig and water vapor that surges out its exhaust.
“One of the things you notice is how quiet it is,” GM’s Chris Colquitt, the lead engineer behind the truck said last week as the ZH-2 quietly whirred behind him.
The fuel cell has essentially no moving parts. It works like a battery that never runs flat because a constant flow of hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen keeps the juice flowing.
The Army has long coveted the technology because it brings a combination of desperately-needed fuel efficiency and near-silent operation to the battlefield.
The American military is the world’s largest consumer of diesel fuel, running up a tab at the pump as high as $13 billion per year.
In battle, fuel costs go up astronomically. Pentagon officials told congress in 2009 that diesel fuel at remote locations in Afghanistan runs more than $400 per gallon when transportation costs are added in.
Brian Butrico, an Army engineer overseeing the ZH-2 said the fuel cell sips fuel at less than half the rate of a Humvee. And unlike Army trucks that guzzle fuel while idling, the fuel cell shuts down.
“The feedback is positive so far,” he said.
Hydrogen used to power the truck isn’t something you can pick up at the neighborhood 7-Eleven. To go along with the truck, Butrico’s colleagues at the Army Tank and Automotive Research and Development Center in Michigan are building a “reformer” that can produce the hydrogen by refining other easily-available fuels.
The hydrogen-maker will be about the size of an Army trailer and could be hauled straight to the battlefield to fuel next-generation rigs.
Butrico said the utility of the fuel cell goes far beyond vehicles.
One of the military’s biggest gas-guzzlers overseas is the generator. At the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army generators at forward bases converted 357 million gallons of diesel into electricity and ear-splitting noise each year.
In Baghdad, soldiers could determine their proximity to an American base by listening for the generators’ roar.
A fuel cell could kill the noise and cut the fuel consumption by half or more, the Army estimates.
The ZH-2’s fuel cell generates about 50 kilowatts of power that can be fed into its hulking electric motor or fed to other equipment thanks to handy power outlets in the bed.
“It’s the electrification of a vehicle,” Butrico explained.
The ZH-2 is no tree-hugging Tesla, though. It weighs in at more than 3 tons and its electric motor produces a transmission-shredding 256 pounds of torque, politely managed by several internal computers.
For its girth, the truck is surprisingly nimble, gliding easily over Fort Carson’s tank trails and gullies.
For all its charm, though, the ZH-2 will never wear Army green into battle.
The truck is an experiment designed to examine the fuel cell itself rather than the sheet metal and drive train around it.
Colquitt said GM engineers put the truck together in about a year by marrying the car maker’s experimental fuel cell to parts from several vehicles in its stable. The one-of-a-kind ZH-2 is about a quarter Chevy Colorado, part Camaro, part Corvette and part Volt, too.
The fuel cell itself was used in a wider consumer market experiment based on the Chevrolet Equinox, a vehicle commonly spotted on the sidelines of youth soccer games.
“We’ve pushed the boundary with this,” Colquitt said of the ZH-2.
The ultra-green pickup could be the progenitor for generations of hydrogen powered military vehicles.
“We’re investigating it,” Butrico said.
Read more about Chevy’s Hydrogen-Fueled Future at the Source: Colorado’s Fort Carson Pioneers Hydrogen-Fueled Future
U.S. federal, state, and municipal governments, and the military depend heavily on a fleet of toughened Chevrolet Tahoes to help them get around safely.
Watch any recent American war-based action movie or high-level governmental drama on TV and you’ll notice there’s almost always a convoy of Chevy SUVs whisking VIPs around with heavily armed escorts on board. It’s actually one of the things Hollywood gets right. Far from product placement, the real life U.S. federal, state, and municipal governments, the military, and various security services depend heavily on a fleet of toughened Chevrolet Tahoes and Suburbans to help them get around safely and effectively.
Looking for your own undercover ride? Visit us online or drop by our showroom. Or, call our Customer Care Team at 630-898-9630 to schedule your VIP test drive.
And the specialized use of one of GM’s most successful model ranges in its history isn’t just confined to American soil. Wherever the U.S. has an official presence internationally, you can bet there’s a fleet of Tahoes and Suburbans at their disposal. Take the Army’s elite Delta Force, for example. When they’re deployed on a high-value target security detail or other special ops mission, chances are they rely on said fleet to accomplish their objectives.
In an effort to underscore how effective their vehicles are in intense, real world situations, Chevrolet invited us to The Range Complex (TRC) in North Carolina, about two hours outside of Raleigh. Set in between the Army’s Fort Bragg and the Marines’ Camp LeJeune bases on 978 acres, TRC is a special-ops training facility founded by Delta Force veterans, many of whom have some 20-plus years of experience in the field under their belts. The military’s most elite fighters and other special operatives train at TRC to prepare for highly dangerous, highly classified missions and other security operations, like the raid by the Navy’s SEAL Team Six that took out Osama bin Laden, or the defense of the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, during the siege of the facility in 2012. These guys are the real deal, and so are the Chevys they drive.
Read More from the Source: Midnight Mission: Training with Chevy Tahoes and the Delta Force | Automobile Magazine
The 2017 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 is headed to early order customers this month and is now on sale nationwide.
Looking for a ZR2 for yourself? Give us a call at 630-898-9630 or drop by our showroom weekdays from 9-9 or on Saturdays from 9-6. Or, visit us online at www.WestphalChevy.com
Source: 2017 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Rolls Out to Customers – Motor Trend
The 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback in Premier trim is perfect as a daily driver and for adventuresome road trips, but perhaps not ideally suited to canyon carving.
We’ve got over 400 new Chevrolet vehicles in stock and in transit to choose from! Why not stop by Ron Westphal Chevrolet and test drive a new Chevy Cruze or maybe a Camaro? Why not?
The February Chevy rebates in Aurora, IL are monumental.
Minutes ago, GM just announced $5000 rebates on select new remaining 2016 models in stock. Shop 2016 models now.
Find your Chevy and then call Ron Westphal Chevy’s Customer Care Team at 630-898-9630 for complete up-to-date pricing information including the latest incentives. New 2016 models are almost SOLD OUT, so call us a.s.a.p. before they’re all gone.
Here are just some of the highlights. For a complete list visit our Chevy Incentive Page or call us at 630-898-9630.
Bonus Bonus Tags up to $5000 on select new 2016 models, up to $3000 on select new 2017 models.
*Contact dealer for details. May not be compatible with other programs. Plus tax, license and fees. Offer ends Feb. 28th, 2017.
^Must be approved by lender. Contact dealer for details. May not be compatible with other programs. Plus tax, license and fees. Offer ends Feb. 28th, 2017.
We get this question all the time. So, here is video that explains how the trailer brake works on the 2017 Chevrolet Silverado.
If you have additional questions, please contact our customer care team at 630-898-9630.
Looking for that perfect Silverado? Check out our website!
If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Care Team at 630-898-9630. Or, Visit our Website at www.WestphalChevy.com.
Did you know…FICO score considers all inquiries within a 45 day period for an auto loan as a single inquiry.
Ever wondered…Hey, what’s the difference between a hard inquiry and a soft inquiry on my credit report?
Well, here are some answers.
When someone checks your credit report, it’s called an inquiry. Some inquires do not affect your credit, while others might.
Lenders do not see soft inquiries when they order your credit report. Soft inquiries include:
Hard inquiries typically come from a lender or other creditor who wants to check your credit report as a result of your loan application or request for credit, goods or services. These inquiries are shared with other lenders viewing the report and can have an impact on credit scores and lending decisions.
One exception occurs when you are “shopping”. FICO score considers all inquiries within a 45 day period for an auto loan as a single inquiry. You can avoid lowering your FICO Score by doing your all your serious auto hunting within a short period of time.
We can help!
It’s common for Ron Westphal Chevrolet to submit your information to multiple lenders in an effort to find the lowest interest rate and most favorable loan terms. This practice allows you to benefit from lenders competing for your business.
Lenders recognize that shopping for only one car and does not mean you are trying to open multiple new accounts. Credit scoring systems have been designed to account for that practice and include rules such as counting the same type of inquiry as only one inquiry as long as they are made within a short period of time.
Call our Finance Department at 630-898-9630. We will be happy to provide you with additional information in English or Spanish. Or, visit our website.
A FICO score is a type of credit score created by the Fair Isaac Corporation. Lenders use borrowers’ FICO scores along with other details on borrowers’ credit reports to assess credit risk and determine whether to extend credit. FICO scores take into account various factors in five areas to determine credit worthiness: payment history, current level of indebtedness, types of credit used, length of credit history and new credit accounts.
Source: Experian.com and Fico.com
Read more: FICO Score Definition | Investopedia http://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/ficoscore.asp#ixzz4Vpp98X1I
DETROIT — Rear Seat Reminder, an industry-first feature designed to remind drivers to check the back seat as they exit their vehicles under certain circumstances, will be offered across many Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles by the 2018 model year.
The system monitors rear door usage to remind drivers to check their rear seats before walking away from their vehicles.
Looking for a 2017 model with rear seat reminder? Call Ron Westphal Chevy at 630-898-9630 or visit our website.
“GM’s Rear Seat Reminder feature is an initial step to use technology to help remind drivers to check the rear seat before exiting the vehicle under certain conditions,” said Jeff Boyer, vice president of GM Global Vehicle Safety. “We want to help everyone to take one simple, extra step. That’s why Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac will offer the Rear Seat Reminder on a broad range of vehicles, from small cars to full-size SUVs and everything in between.”
Thirty-nine children died from heatstroke this year as result of being left in vehicles or gaining access to an unattended vehicle, a 60 percent increase over last year’s figure.
Rear Seat Reminder debuted earlier this year on the all-new 2017 GMC Acadia. Models to offer the feature include those listed below as well as some 2018 vehicles models that will be announced at a later date:
The Rear Seat Reminder works by monitoring the vehicle’s rear doors. The feature is intended to activate when either rear door is opened and closed up to 10 minutes before the vehicle is started or while the vehicle is running. Once the system is activated, the vehicle is designed to sound five chimes and display a message in the driver information center that reads “Rear Seat Reminder / Look in Rear Seat” the next time the vehicle is turned off.
“This new technology developed by General Motors will give busy parents and caregivers the important reminder to always check the back seat,” said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. “The safest way to protect a child from heatstroke is to never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, and features like Rear Seat Reminder, coupled with continued public education, can help combat this preventable tragedy.”
The feature cannot actually detect items in the back seat, so it is always important to check the rear seat prior to exiting the vehicle.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.
