Integration of electrical powertrains in heavy military vehicles

Derived from experience gained from research on heavy military vehicles this talk will focus generally on the options for electrical powertrains for .. Read more armoured vehicles and the integration challenges and opportunities that emerge. The seismic shift towards hybridisation and full electrification of powertrains undertaken by the automotive market over the past 20 years has not yet rippled through the main armoured vehicle fleets of any major nation. Many other technologies characteristically first reach maturity in the military domain before adoption spreads in other sectors, but this is an interesting exception. Although numerous electrified prototypes and demonstrators have been fielded since as far back as the Second World War, penetration of modern electric drive technology is only just ramping up in next-generation military vehicle programmes. The 30-50 year service lifecycle of heavy wheeled and tracked fighting platforms is one contributing factor. Another is uncertainty on the balance between fossil fuels and electric energy storage as a power source.