The 2008 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

Don’t look out your window, but there’s probably a guy parading around with one of those “The end is near” signs. How else to explain the fact that one of Detroit’s most visible signs of overindulgence, the Cadillac Escalade, is going green next summer? That’s right, all of you athletes, musicians and just plain showoffs: You can now have your cake and eat it too. Or something like that.

Someone recently asked me if the price of gas is affecting sales of luxury cars, which are often the worst offenders when it comes to gas-guzzling. “Of course not,” I replied, “people with the money to buy a $68,000 truck like the Escalade, for instance (a very impractical vehicle when you come right down to it), really aren’t affected by gas prices.” Perhaps if there’s ever another gas shortage it would be another story. But right now that’s not the case.

And how many of you—come on now, be honest—while looking down your nose at those selfish, snobby gas-guzzlers, haven’t secretly lusted in your heart to have one in your driveway? Or at least would have liked to have borrowed one to drive to your high school reunion? Because you’ve gotta admit, while we may say “ugh” when we’re stuck behind one in traffic, we also realize that whoever’s driving it is probably at a higher station in life, at least financially, than we are. Or perhaps they’re just in hock up to their eyeballs. At any rate…

The Escalade Hybrid is a big deal. It means the powers-that-be are awakening to the fact that oil wells aren’t a bottomless pit after all. And before the hybrid world is overpopulated by weenie cars like the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic, it’s time for something for “the big kids” to drive and show that, yes, they really do care about the environment. GM is telling us in their press release that the Escalade Hybrid has the capability of improving its gas mileage by up to 50 percent in city driving. Seeing that the current truck is rated at a paltry 12 miles per gallon city, 19 highway, a 50 percent increase to 18 miles per gallon city, while still not much, is a vast improvement. You’ve gotta admit it. Come on now.

Let’s face it, there’s always going to be a market for something like the Escalade, so at least GM is looking for a way to improve it. And here’s how the Escalade Hybrid works: it’s a two-mode hybrid system, which means at low speeds the Escalade will be able to launch from a dead stop and continue on at low speeds, using the electric motor only. Once a higher speed is reached the 6.0-liter gasoline engine with active fuel management (AFM) will combine with the 300-volt nickel-metal hydride Energy Storage System (ESS) until highway speed is reached, when the gasoline engine takes over completely. At this point the AFM system shuts down half of the V-8 engine’s cylinders, essentially making it a four-cylinder engine, thus saving even more fuel. While all of this is happening, each time the driver applies the brakes or coasts, electric motors create electricity, which is stored in the battery for future use. While none of this is brand-new technology, to see it applied to a vehicle such as the Escalade is, one could say, a breath of fresh air.

Pricing hasn’t yet been announced, but I’m sure you can expect to pay a premium for doing your part to help save the environment. Not that most Escalade buyers won’t be able to afford it.

Or, as the saying goes, if you have to ask how much, well, you know…

For more info: cadillac.com.