GM Revives Tripower Name for New Engine

General Motors has decided to use the Tripower name for a new engine. The previous Tripower engines were high-performance V8 engines which were used in classic Pontiac models. The new Tripower engine will not be used in cars but in the next-generation full-size pickup trucks that General Motors will be making, like the GMC Sierra and the Chevrolet Silverado. The engine will be a turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine which will produce 310 hp and 348 pound-feet of torque, based on a report in Automotive News. That might not seem like much, but it is almost as much power as that produced by the last Tripower engine which was used in the 1966 Pontiac GTO.

The term Tripower is derived from the components and technologies used to ramp up the efficiency and performance of the 2.7 liter engine. The most important innovation is cylinder deactivation which makes it possible to use only two cylinders when the engine has a light load. The engine comes with active thermal management which depending on conditions, increases and decreases heat in different parts of the engine for optimum efficiency, thus expediting warm-ups and reducing temperatures when needed.

The third technology used is the intake valve lift control which goes a long way towards improving fuel economy depending on the loads and the driving conditions. The technology involves reducing the length intake valves open, based on vehicle speed.

Based on the use of these three technologies, the new engine was considered eligible to get the Tripower name. Other notable technical features include an electric water pump and more efficient BorgWarner turbocharger.

According to Automotive News, this new 310-hp 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine has one of the highest outputs for a regular production four-cylinder engine. It is not known whether GM will opt to use this engine in smaller vehicles.