Picture above is an XM1124 Hybrid-Electric Humvee on an M1113 Humvee chassis powered by a diesel-series hybrid featuring an all-electric drive train. The Army's been working on again/off again on getting better mileage out of its tactical vehicles. Do a search and you'll see it has terminated as many efforts as it's started. Well, that's research and engineering for you. The performance requirements for a Humvee are a bit different than for a Prius. Not more stringent, necessarily, but definitely different. Think: survivability. Here you'll find a smart video on Engineering TV explaining how the hybrid power sytems work on this beast. Two details jumped out from this video for me:- It can do 6 miles silent patrol mode before the engine has to kick in
- 15 Kw generator provides silent power for sensors/comm gear
Acronym translation for the org that's working on this - RDECOM/TARDEC:
- RDECOM = Research, Development and Engineering Command
- TARDEC = Tank, Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center
TARDEC has a conference coming up shortly on tactical hybrids and other approaches to squeezing more miles out a gallon of fuel. You could say their job is to turn GPM vehicles into MPG vehicles. Keep an eye on here for info on the Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator and the upcoming industry day on 30 Sep 08 in Michigan.
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Carnegie @ Flickr
1 comment:
Interesting post, I enjoyed read this
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