US Army Goes Green Unveils First Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System for New Combat Vehicles

icv.jpgThe U.S. Army unveiled its first hybrid-electric propulsion system for a new fleet of Manned Ground Vehicles (MGVs). The Army is developing and building eight new MGV variants for 15 Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Teams (FCS BCTs). All eight commonly-designed MGV variants will provide Soldiers with enhanced survivability, increased speed and mobility, new network-based capabilities, and more modern, modular technology. All the eight variants will have a common chassis saving the army a great deal of money. For the first time the Army will be integrating a functional hybrid-electric drive system into a combat vehicle. The drive system is part of the propulsion system that will power the vehicles.


The Army has long been at the forefront of developing hybrid-electric vehicles. In fact, the Army's hybrid-electric vehicles are significantly more robust and more powerful than commercial hybrid vehicles. The first hybrid- electric MGV variant, the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C), will commence production in late 2008.
"The MGV drive train is unique," said Colonel Bryan McVeigh, product manager for MGV systems integration. "The traditional engine has been de-coupled from the drive train architecture and is designed only to recharge the energy storage system and power the vehicular systems.
Via - US Army FCS

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by dhiram, posted August 18, 2007 - 6:25 AM in Transport | Comments ()


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Reader Comments

  1. danwat1234 on "

    how many MPG?

  1. solaxyfox on "

    The drive train is not unique. That is how diesel trains have run for a while. Glad to see the army finally catching up to the railroads...

  1. Martin Gerner on "

    They were not the first - the Swedish had their first hybrid-electric propulsion vehicle ready seven years ago. See for instance http://www.army-technology.com/projects/sep/

  1. Dr. Kenneth Noisewater on "

    Reduced noise signature, reduced logistics train, ability to power future energy weapons, it's a win all round!

  1. overlord on "

    This sounds exactly like the SEP system Hagglunds made.

  1. John Pate on "

    It's an old idea. One of the prototype for what became the Tiger 1 tank of WW2 was a hybrid vehicle driven by electric motors charged by a petrol engine driving a generator. See...

    http://www.worldwar2aces.com/tiger-tank/

  1. john phillips on "

    The rail roads did this in the 1940s.
    They are called diesel electric locomotives.

  1. Draq Wraith on "

    Wait until they add the new method of delivery for mortar rounds. Magnetically launched munitions should throw a monkey wrench into this plan.

    D~W

  1. joe on "

    What kind of battery pack?

  1. few on "

    Sounds just like the drive trains that have been used on some of the largest dump trucks in the world for years.

  1. Tim on "

    I've been wondering why the car companies are screwing around with over-complicated parallel hybrids when they could be doing this, which reduces SO much complexity in a vehicle, mainly the complete lack of a transmission. And it allows the engine to be a lot simpler since it only has to ever operate at its optimum RPM and the electric motors are very durable and last almost forever.

  1. jonathan givens on "

    Tim,

    its all about the $ in parts. ups has their vehicles made to their specs so they are easy to work on saving them$. And an overbearing gov't constantly adding complexity to vehicles adds to cost.
    jonathan

  1. darn on "

    Chevy Volt...

  1. Bruce on "

    Why do they go to all this fuss while still suppressing fuel reforming technology they used in WW2 to get 5 times the fuel mileage and very little pollution becuase they changed gasoline into natural gas and meathanol. see www.himacresearch.com ,www.byronwine.com www.fuelvapors.com. It is time to end suppression before it ends us all

  1. Robert Garn on "

    For front line, in a combat area, the cost of delivering each gallon of gas to a vehicle is about $100! That is likely why the Army is so interested in this technology and its development.

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