Army Tests More Fuel-Efficient Humvees
The U.S. Army is looking for a few more miles to the gallon, and a new troop carrier that might replace the famed gas-hungry Humvee could get as much as 70% better fuel economy.
Specifically, the Army is working with Ricardo Inc., an engineering firm based in the U.K. but with U.S. offices, on building improved new troop carriers. The goal? According to Ricardo's website, "The goal of the FED program, launched in late 2008, is to improve military vehicle technology, reduce fuel consumption on the battlefield and reduce the nation’s dependence on oil." FED stands for Fuel Efficient Demonstrator.
One result is the FED Alpha, a troop carrier that gets roughly 70% better mileage than the M1114 Hummer, which gets in the neighborhood of 4 mpg. Of course, 70% better than that is not very competitive — it's about 7 mpg — for an average consumer truck, much less a car. An FED Bravo is also being developed and it runs on a hybrid-electric drive. Testing for that version is scheduled for later this year.
Other key improvements, according to TPM:
- The FED Alpha minimizes excess weight by using aluminum and aluminum alloys in structural elements.
- Specially treated low-friction parts courtesy of Ricardo.
- A custom engine, custom transmission and lightweight, high-performance brakes similar to those used in race cars.
While you won't be able to get those specialty parts any time soon, Army officials expect that some of it will make its way into the consumer arena before too long. Even so, the chances of Hummer — once seen as the icon for fuel inefficiency — being resurrected as a consumer brand seem far more remote than that.
By the way, Ricardo is the firm our sister site PickupTrucks.com uses to capture all the testing data at our pickup truck Shootouts. So, we can vouch for them.
A “Green” Humvee is in the Works (Talking Points Memo)
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No, it's not anywhere near what a civilian truck can do, but assuming 10,000 miles a year, it's still well over 1,000 gallons saved. Even over a 1,000 miles it's over 100 gallons saved.
Military fuel efficiency isn't measured in miles per gallon, but soldier's lives per mile. Fuel convoys are a constant target for enemies, so more fuel efficient vehicles means fewer convoys, fewer attacks, fewer dead soldiers.