General Motors says it is planning to implement its Displacement on Demand technology,
which shuts off banks of cylinders to conserve fuel in low-power use. The technology will
be made available on the Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Envoy XUV sport-utes equipped
with GM’s 5.3-liter V-8 engine.
In the GM setup, similar to systems offered by companies
like Mercedes-Benz, computer controls shut off half of the V-8s cylinders, leaving four
cylinders in operation in light-load conditions such as cruising at moderate speeds. GM
says the technology will be offered on most of its trucks and SUVs by 2008, and will
eventually extend to its passenger cars with V-6 engines.
GM expects to get up to 8 percent
better fuel economy in the vehicles with DOD.
