Have you heard who's in the market for a new electric vehicle? No, I'm not talking about the public radio devotee or bleeding-edge tech-bro -- I'm talking about the U.S. military.
If you're like me, this news conjures up visions of tanks, armored vehicles and futuristic gadgets fit for a science-fiction thriller. The reality (for now) isn't quite that exciting. Still, technological advancement waits for no one, least of all those who need every possible edge to survive and win in combat.
Let's check on the state of military EVs and see what's on the horizon, what's in development and what's already putting in work at America's military bases.
The Silent Threat
U.S. government agencies have been very vocal about using alternative energy sources to protect the environment, but the Defense Department has a more specific view of electric vehicles in particular.
"Electric vehicles are quiet," as Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said during a 2021 speech at Wayne State University in Michigan. "They have a low heat signature and incredible torque, and because they tend to be low maintenance with fewer moving parts, they have the potential to reduce logistics requirements. All [of] these attributes can help give our troops an edge on the battlefield."
As National Defense magazine reported in 2022, Pentagon leaders are working with automakers in Detroit to modernize the U.S. military's existing vehicle fleet and develop the next generation of tactical and non-tactical vehicles. According to the Modern War Institute at West Point, this technology can appear in three forms, including all-electric platforms such as Tesla, Rivian or Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles.
You don't have to use your imagination to see what this could look like in application. GM Defense is currently developing an electric version of the Army's new Infantry Squad Vehicle. The eISV pairs a 66-kilowatt-hour battery with the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2's drivetrain to move troops and equipment quickly across rugged terrain without burning a drop of fuel.
Another project in the works brings a military classic full circle. Several decades ago, the Humvee inspired the short-lived civilian Hummer H1. The gas-guzzling Hummer has risen from the ashes as the decadent Hummer EV. Now, GM Defense is adapting the Hummer EV to create a military prototype called the eMCV.
The Air Force is in on the action, too. The Air Force Research Laboratory is partnering with GM Defense to develop an electric ground power unit that can deliver electricity to aircraft on the flight line without firing up a generator.
In some cases, the limitations outweigh the capabilities.
"They drive extremely efficiently, accelerate quickly, and are dangerously quiet," the MWI report points out. "But despite the advantages, the technology is not ready for tactical vehicles because it requires incredibly heavy and bulky infrastructure for power generation and charging -- with the exception of niche roles in reconnaissance and small unmanned aviation, which need shorter range and lower acoustic signatures."
And the sci-fi vision of all-electric armored vehicles may remain something of a pipe dream. Lt. Gen. Ross Coffman, deputy commanding general of the Army Futures Command, previously stated that the technology to build something like an all-electric tank simply does not exist, so far that the diesel generator required to charge such a vehicle on the battlefield would need to burn more than 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel per hour.
And that's assuming the electric vehicles make it to the battlefield in the first place. Lithium batteries are notoriously prone to fire, especially when they get wet. If the military experienced a fire such as the one that destroyed a ship full of cars bound for the U.S. back in 2022, the results would be disastrous. (Maybe that's why, unlike the Army, the Marine Corps isn't pursuing an electric combat vehicle, according to National Defense.)
Not Your Librarian's Hybrid
There's more to electrification than all-electric vehicles. As fuel-conscious drivers have known for years, hybrid systems can offer the best of batteries and internal combustion.
Unlike civilian vehicles that were designed as hybrids from the ground up, the military's hybrids are modified vehicles from the existing fleet. Oshkosh Defense is already fielding its ProPlus diesel-electric hybrid kits on the HEMTT and MTVR. According to the company's website, these systems improve fuel economy by 20% at 60 mph, 30% in start/stop conditions and 35% at 30 mph.
In this system, a diesel engine serves as a generator for electric motors that drive the axles and serve as a power source that can support an expeditionary airfield or hospital.
There are more hybrids on the way. According to a 2022 press release, Oshkosh Defense has received at least five patents for a hybrid variant of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. This vehicle, called the eJLTV, boasts a 20% improvement in fuel economy and can recharge its own battery in 30 minutes. Electric power extends range and supports equipment such as communications systems and air conditioning when the diesel engine is off.
GM Defense is working on its own brand of tactical hybridization. By pairing a 2.8-liter Duramax turbodiesel with hybrid-electric power, engineers hope to offer 100 miles of silent range or 60 hours of silent overwatch capability on a lightweight reconnaissance vehicle.
The State of Military EVs (for Now)
For now, that's the state of combat EVs. But as we know, the military owns massive numbers of vehicles that will never see the battlefield -- roughly 170,000 non-tactical vehicles, according to Hicks.
One of the Defense Department's goals is to replace those non-tactical vehicles with EVs. Sometimes, that involves rolling out incredibly depressing low-speed electric vehicles that top out at 30 mph and have two settings: "rabbit" and "turtle" (I wish I were kidding).
In most cases, the transition will be from gas-burning cars, trucks and vans to commercially available plug-in hybrid or electric passenger vehicles. This presents challenges, but also opportunities.
As NPR affiliate WUSF reports, Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri had replaced seven out of 700 non-tactical vehicles as of April 15, 2023.
Why so few? Part of the job is supporting new vehicles with a network of charging stations. A local electric utility cooperative has partnered with Fort Leonard Wood to provide power and charging stations, but that takes time and forethought to complete the project without straining the power supply for existing customers.
As early as 2012, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California found ways to harvest renewable energy from a landfill. In 2020, the air station's microgrid proved itself capable of powering the base completely independent of San Diego Gas & Electric.
Other installations are employing solar panels that can charge from the sun, store power in an internal battery and charge vehicles as needed. Best of all, these charging stations can be taken down and deployed with any unit that might need them.
Covered parking spaces and glorified golf carts aren't exactly thrilling, I know. But everything has to start somewhere -- the first canvas-skinned biplanes were humble contraptions, and look how far military aviation has come.
Maybe the EV initiative will fizzle out and leave us with a bunch of surplus Chevy Volts. Maybe it'll turn into something amazing that will take American service members to new heights. At the very least, it gave us more reliable air conditioning in the JLTV, MTVR and HEMTT.
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