The Hybrid HMMWV

Until The Great War, supply trains relied on the strength pack animals to ferry an army’s soldiers and supplies over great distances.  These mules and horses pulled incredible amounts of weight over the expanses of states, nations, and empires.  However, the burden of labor placed upon these animals was taxing and not without consequence.  These animals required incredible amount of fodder every day, adding to the tonnage carried.  Mules and horses also have a breaking point and can only go so far.  The invention of the automobile seemed like it would fix this problem.  Unfortunately, the old problems remained but in a new way.  Automobiles require an immense amount of gasoline and are prone to breaking down and needing repair.  This problem plagued armies of The Great War to the war we fight now.  The vehicles our Army uses today still face these problems, especially the problem of poor gas mileage.  

FED Bravo

 

            The Secretary of Defense set out to fix this problem and funded the Army to collaborate with civilian industries to find a solution.  The goal was to develop the Fuel Efficient ground vehicle Demonstrator, commonly referred to as the FED Bravo.  This concept vehicle made its first appearance in 2012 at the Automotive Engineers World Congress and Exhibition in Detroit.  The engineers at the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) are in charge of coordinating this project.  The Office of the Secretary of Defense funded the production and testing of two vehicles.  According to TARDEC, “The vehicle itself won’t go into production, but the components, technology and lessons learned will be transitioned to the current fleet and allow us to improve the future fleet. The FED vehicles were built to evaluate whether existing fuel efficiency solutions will be effective on a military platform.”  The primary objective is to improve the fuel efficiency of the Army’s Humvee, or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV).  
 

The Army and the Department of Defense as a whole understand the vehicles in their organizations need to use less fuel and gain higher miles per gallon.  In today’s current operating environment, poor fuel efficiency may lead to decreased combat effectiveness as well as casualties on the battlefield.   According to the Secretary of the Army, approximately one out of 46 convoys experiences a casualty on refueling missions.   The Army needs more fuel efficient vehicles not only to save money but also to save lives.  Increasing the fuel mileage of vehicles will decrease the required amount of escort convoys to deliver fuel to the front lines.  Fortunately, TARDEC claims the FED Bravo “can perform the same mission as a Humvee, but with 90 percent better fuel efficiency.”  The current Humvee generates approximately 4.8 miles per gallon while the FED Bravo generates approximately 9.58 miles to the gallon.  Both statistics represent urban missions and convoy escort, or highway, driving.  The FED Bravo uses a variety of features that aid in greatly increasing the vehicles fuel efficiency.  TARDEC and ASRC Primus collaborated to create a host of features designed to increase the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.  The features include:

1. "Road-coupled parallel hybrid drive system. The front axle is powered by an electric motor, while the rear-wheel-drive is linked to a hybrid fuel-powered and electric system.
2. Ford 4.4-liter twin turbocharged V8 diesel engine, capable of producing 268 horsepower.
3. Integrated starter-generator shuts off the engine during idle time and restarts it when the driver touches the accelerator, which improves fuel economy and reduces emissions.
4. Six-speed automatic transmission coupled with an advanced lithium-ion battery with high energy and power density.
5. The full-power hydraulic brake system with antilock brakes is combined with the steering system to supply the hydraulic pressure demands for the steering, eliminating a second pump and improving efficiency.
6. Carbon ceramic brake rotors with advanced coating for durability, plus low-drag aluminum brake calipers.
7. Tubular space frame chassis for better rigidity-to-weight ratio. Combined with armored cab and V-shaped hull for protection from blasts."
   

Increasing the range and decreasing the cost of fuel will aid in strengthening and extending the Army’s lines of communication.  TARDEC explained the far-reaching implications of better fuel efficiency by stating, “The amount of effort that goes into getting every gallon of fuel to the Soldiers is tremendous, with thousands involved from Port to COP [combat outpost]. When you take that into account, that gallon of fuel is fairly expensive by the time it gets there. Better fuel efficiency will allow the military to use taxpayer dollars more wisely by being able to allocate troops and money to other missions.”