Army's "green" HumVee

[redvand]

With Obama pushing "green" vehicles, how do you like the idea of a "green" HumVee?

I like the idea of them going into silent "stealth" mode.


Hybrid HumVee (http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/04/20/19895-hybrid-electric-humvee-green-mobility/)

[Soldat_Américain]

what happened to fuel cells...much quieter I think

[tercio67]

"up to six miles of silent mobility using its battery system"

It would be more effective to use a trailer with a golfcart.

[deagle]

sounds great on paper, but lets see what a few prototypes can do in the field before committing more taxpayer funding for ill-advised and mis-managed projects.

[redvand]

sounds great on paper, but lets see what a few prototypes can do in the field before committing more taxpayer funding for ill-advised and mis-managed projects.

It's "green" so it can't be ill-advised.
It's a government project so it can be mis-managed.

[Burntrubber87]

I don't see how it could hurt..except for the fact that you need caveman reliability in the drivetrain of a combat vehicle..if it was tough set-up I bet it could be useful. The sound of electric cars are borderline creepy they are so quiet. all you hear are the tires. Seeing the thread title I thought they might have started using biodiesel in some vehicles..I mean the military has the resources to produce biodiesel from its own grease fryers probably.

[wildcat]

cool story.

[Macs.]

With the current status of batteries I don't see how this could be used as a "frontline" vehicle anytime soon. Especially in such climatic extreme places like Iraq or Afghansitan.

[shocker1]

With the current status of batteries I don't see how this could be used as a "frontline" vehicle anytime soon. Especially in such climatic extreme places like Iraq or Afghansitan.
X2 In 1999-2000 the electric bus company(Advanced Vehicle Systems) I worked for partnered with PEI and DARPA to build hybrids using this platform. APU was a 60kw microturbine, 4 GE 100kw hub drive motors and sealed gel batteries. Granted batteries have improved since then. The turbine could run on a variety of fuels including , diesel, corn oil, digester gas, LPG, LNG and ethanol. Had a range of about 35 miles before the batteries discharge outpaced the turbine output. Vehicle was stripped to the bare bones also. A 150kw genset for the turbine was in the works but Bush was elected. The system was good but no where near tough enough for military apps. It is all ignorant in concept anyway, in war environmentalism and carbon output are hardly concerns to occupy our military industry.

When batteries catch up with electronics then we may see something viable but not as of today IMO.

There were some other set ups tried as well but I liked the turbine apu and the GE brush less induction motors. I started a thread about this years ago but have not the will to dig it up.

[eskachig]

"up to six miles of silent mobility using its battery system"

It would be more effective to use a trailer with a golfcart.Well there's also the regular diesel engine in there too you know...

[tercio67]

Well there's also the regular diesel engine in there too you know...

Yes and the occupants still wear boots I heard....