Challenges of hybrid electric Vehicles for military applications

by Gus Khalil

Team Leader, Hybrid Electric Research Team
US Army TARDEC, Warren, Michigan, USA

ABSTRACT: Hybrid electric vehicles have been 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.

Bio: Mr. Khalil has worked at TARDEC since 1985 and is currently the Team Leader of the Hybrid Electric Research Team in the Mobility group at TARDEC. He is responsible for the development and maturation of hybrid electric components for integration into fielded military vehicles such as Future Combat systems (FCS) and other military platforms. He is a member of the NATO working group that is in charge of assessing hybrid electric technology for military applications and is also the chairman of the Steering committee for the International All Electric Combat Vehicle (AECV) conference. He received his bachelor's of Science in Mechanical engineering from Wayne State University in 1973 and his Master's of Science in mechanical engineering from Wayne State University in 1979. Previous employment include Ford Chassis Division and Ford Tractors.