GM’s HMMWV (Humvee) Replacement: A Stepping Stone To More EVs

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Everybody is aware of concerning the legendary “Humvee,” formally referred to as the HMMWV, which stands for Excessive Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Automobile. For many years, it’s been the primary journey for not solely the U.S. army, however for different militaries globally. Earlier than it turned the usual, the U.S. army used a wide range of different automobiles, like the unique Jeep, an upgraded Vietnam-era Jeep, in addition to plenty of different automobiles, together with normal GM sq. physique vehicles.

However, just like the U.S. Postal Service’s Grumman LLV, the design and lots of the vehicles themselves are getting a little bit lengthy within the tooth. When it first went into service, Ronald Reagan was in workplace, Whitney Houston’s debut album got here out, New Coke was launched, and Again to the Future (half one) was in theaters! Given how a lot automotive know-how has modified, it’s solely pure that the army could be seeking to do one thing a little bit newer.

Lately, Navy Instances had an opportunity to see what GM would do if requested to exchange the HMMWV, and so they did a video evaluation, very similar to a publication would do for any car! (abstract and dialogue under the embedded video)

At a GM proving floor, retired Normal John Johnson, who now works with GM Protection, introduced the brand new truck. In contrast to the HMMWV, GM’s tech demonstrator relies on the identical body because the Chevy Silverado, however with a hybrid powertrain as a substitute of a straight diesel engine. By combining diesel (the gasoline the army largely makes use of at present) with batteries, gasoline effectivity is enormously improved together with permitting the truck to have a number of different tips up its sleeve.

For one, the truck is extraordinarily quiet in comparison with the HMMWV. As a hybrid, it doesn’t begin its engine immediately, and might keep away from burning gasoline at low speeds. It even has an EV mode (labeled as silent mode) that may give troopers (and other people from different companies) the power to be additional stealthy when wanted. In hybrid mode, it might run the diesel engine extra like a generator, making the car sound much more like a chunk of development tools than a truck.

GM hopes to make use of this know-how demonstrator to show that the know-how for hybrid and even EV drive is there at present for militaries. This isn’t some far-out future factor that militaries should purchase within the 2040s. It’s one thing they will purchase now, energy with present provide traces, and put proper to work doing every part that at present’s HMMWVs do, plus extra.

GM can be in search of suggestions from everybody from journalists to army personnel in any respect ranges to international allied militaries with a purpose to make sure that the car can preserve bettering towards a manufacturing mannequin. That is removed from a closing design, so there’s loads of time to enhance issues.

One other key factor the corporate desires to offer over the present HMMWV providing is security. Rollover safety, digital stability management and anti-lock brakes, a harness system, and different issues that folks would anticipate after driving regular automobiles are all included. This helps troopers who grew up driving regular automobiles with these security applied sciences have a better time getting began with out getting in over their heads. Everybody hasn’t pushed a traditional truck off-road!

Not lengthy after the interview, GM Protection took this truck together with some others (together with an all-electric mannequin) to AUSA, an occasion the place army consumers and troopers can get hands-on appears at army gear of every kind.

The press launch for that occasion gave us much more details about the car. Particularly, it’s constructed atop the Silverado HD platform, beginning mainly with a 3500HD (one-ton truck) and the ZR2 suspension and off-road bundle. Then, as a substitute of a bigger V8 or inline-six diesel engine bigger vehicles like this usually get, the car has the smaller 2.8L turbodiesel engine that usually is available in smaller vehicles just like the Colorado. To make this small engine do the job, it’s paired with a pretty big (by civilian requirements) 12-module battery pack, powering drove motors for the entrance and rear axles.

In different phrases, it’s no Prius. It’s an precise truck, but it surely’s additionally extra of an EV with a spread extender than it’s a typical parallel hybrid. The diesel engine by no means sends energy on to the wheels, as a substitute solely protecting the battery pack topped up as wanted. Because of this the car can be utilized to do issues that no army car presently in service does.

“Next Gen’s ‘wow’ factor is right behind the wheel,” stated John ‘JD’ Johnson, vice chairman of GM Protection’s Authorities Options and Technique Division. “Customers need to drive this highly capable vehicle to see, feel, and hear the benefits. Next Gen fundamentally changes the discussion around modern mobility through the tactical benefits delivered by its propulsion system, including its ability to address the power gap in the formation. This highly capable tactical vehicle leverages billions of dollars of investments GM has made in R&D and innovation to enhance warfighter capability. We encourage customers to test drive it so that we can get these capabilities fielded immediately.”

Why Not Go Full Electrical?

I’d like to see militaries go full-electric. This sounds unrealistic to many individuals, however within the long-run, it might be quite a bit higher. As a substitute of being a slave to provide traces hundreds of miles lengthy, a army with electrical automobiles can use something for energy. Nuclear, turbines working on any gasoline kind, energy from naval ships, moveable photo voltaic, and lots of extra issues might be used to maintain the automobiles working with out the vulnerability and value of bringing gasoline from across the globe.

However, electrification wants to start out someplace. Having electrical and hybrid automobiles that may slot into at present’s provide traces is a good way to deliver militaries from the “Chevy Volt” stage to the fashionable BEV stage. In any case, we EV drivers didn’t all the time drive EVs (except you’re a very younger EV proprietor, in fact). As soon as the benefits of part-time electrical drive grow to be obvious, it will likely be simpler for the trade to maneuver ahead.

I reached out to GM Protection to see in the event that they’d allow us to get an in-person take a look at GM’s EV and hybrid army know-how demonstrators within the close to future. Be sure you subscribe or comply with us on social media to see the newest. You can too follow me on X/Twitter to look out for more outdoor-related EV content!

Featured picture by GM Protection.