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The U.S. Army's National Automotive Center has contracted with Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI), Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), and Advanced Propulsion, LLC, to evaluate the effects on fuel consumption and logistics that would result from hybridizing the powertrains of the Army's tactical wheeled vehicle fleet. This paper will outline the approach taken to perform that evaluation and present a synopsis of results achieved to date.

Hybrid electric propulsion is a viable, realistic, near-term technology that can dramatically increase the fuel efficiency of commercial and military ground vehicles. Hybrid vehicles also benefit from exhaust emission reductions and the availability of an on-board source of mobile high power electrical energy for auxiliary systems.

Modern natural gas-to-liquids (GTL) conversion processes (Fischer-Tropsch liquid fuels (FTL)) offers an attractive means for making synthetic liquid fuels. Military diesel and jet fuels are procured under Commercial Item Description (CID) A-A-52557 (based on ASTM D 975) and MIL-DTL-83133/MIL-DTL-5624 (JP-8/JP-5), respectively. The Single Fuel Forward (single fuel in the battlefield) policy requires the use of JP-8 or JP-5 (JP-8/5). Fuel properties crucial to fuel system/engine performance/operation are identified for both old and new tactical/non-tactical vehicles. The 21st Century Truck program is developing technology for improved safety, reduced harmful exhaust emissions, improved fuel efficiency, and reduced cost of ownership of future military and civilian ground vehicles (in the heavy duty category having gross vehicle weights exceeding 8500 pounds).[1]

This paper will describe the Army's Vehicle Intelligence Program and discuss some of the VI technologies being considered for use within the Army's Tactical Wheeled Vehicle fleet. It will describe some initial modeling efforts that focus on the fuel efficiency impacts of selected VI technologies and will suggest the impacts of an integrated and networked fleet with regard to logistics. Lastly, it will identify several areas of AVIP research that are being considered in the near term. All of these programs impact directly on the 21st Century (21T) Truck program. [1]