U.S. Army to Test Electric Tactical Vehicles

U.S. Lawmakers have instructed the U.S. Army to run a pilot program to test operations of electric tactical vehicles in the field.

The House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Subcommittee were interested to know if electrification in the near term is achievable for tactical ground vehicles given the evident operational benefits associated with reduced vehicle thermal and noise signature, increased dash speed and reduction in liquid fuel requirements.

The subcommittee stated that the army’s pilot program should experiment and demonstrate “integrated electrification capabilities” to include electric vehicles, mobile fleet charging systems and exportable power generation during operational training exercises.

The U.S army had set a goal to field hybrid electric tactical vehicles by 2035 and all-electric vehicles by 2050 as per its climate strategy released this year.

The Army also approved a tactical and combat vehicle electrification (TaCV-E) initial capabilities document in December 2021 that “informs the transition to advancing electrification capabilities and operational requirements generation for the ground vehicles fleet,” according to the subcommittee’s fiscal 2023 authorization mark.

The service is assessing the possibility of fielding a hybrid electric version of several of its vehicles, including the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. According to a report by Defense news, the most likely candidate to become an all-electric tactical vehicle is the Electric Light Reconnaissance Vehicle. The Army has looked at a variety of options through demonstrations, but has yet to fund the effort.