Challenges of hybrid electric vehicles for military applications

Hybrid electric vehicles are steadily coming to fruition in the commercial market due to their proven benefits in fuel economy and lower emission of pollutants. For military vehicles, the drivers for hybrid electric vehicles are quite different; although the fuel economy remains a desirable feature for both the commercial and military sectors. The military needs for hybrid electric reside in their ability to generate significant level of electric power onboard the vehicles to meet the demand of the warfighter thus expanding his mission capabilities in terms of mobility, survivability and lethality. The Army recognizes the payoffs of hybrid electric propulsion for tactical and combat vehicles. However, the fielding of hybrid electric military vehicles has been much slower than the commercial vehicles due to the technical challenges that must be overcome before the hybrid technology can be considered viable for military applications. This paper describes some of the challenges and the proposed solutions and their state of development and future trends.