Don, I found this article at evworld.com on the hybrid Humvee interesting. How can the military not want the hybrid?
Hybrid-HUMVEE Humbles ICE
By John Wilson
President & CEO, Southern Coalition For Advanced Transportation
On Tuesday, February 16, the Army's National Automotive Command director Dennis Wend served as the announcer for several heats of competition between conventional Army tactical vehicles and their hybrid-electric cousins. The SCAT hybrid HMMWV was joined by the all-electric M113 in toasting their conventional counterparts in front of an audience that included four television stations, a video crew for the newsmagazine EXTRA, senior corporate officials and Army officers.
We ran the races several times, including two races where we spotted the conventional "hummer" several lengths before we dropped the flag. The races were held on a blocked-off stretch of Major Boulevard, adjacent to the conference hotel and the military displays in the outdoor exhibits and just a stone's throw from the entrance to Universal Studios.
We are particularly grateful to the Orlando Police Department for approving the permits to conduct the event and for the officers who helped support the event, including an impromptu ticket-writing event that cited the Army command for excessive performance in an electric vehicle!
While we are still collecting video clips, the early reports include extensive favorable coverage of the importance of hybrid-electric drives for future military vehicles and strong evidence of their "coming of age."
By the way, the hybrid HMMWV is headed back to Aberdeen for a complete suite of testing in the next few days, but the confirmed stats are shown below:
COMPARISONS BETWEEN HYBRID-ELECTRIC HMMWV AND STANDARD HMMWV
.................Hybrid Electric HMMWV......Standard HMMWV
Top Speed (0% grade).......85 mph...................70 mph
..............(60% grade).......17 mph....................6.8 mph
Acceleration (0-50 mph)....7 seconds.................14 seconds
Range
Diesel Fuel + electric....350 miles...............275 miles
stealth miles..............30 miles...............*********
Total Range...............380 miles ..............275 miles
Fuel Economy...............16 mpg...................8 mpg
Emissions..............75% reduction..............standard
Gross Vehicle Weight......9100.....................9100
Payload*..................2880-2280................2580
My guess is that they don't want a battery pack that catches fire when penetrated by a bullit.
Del |
