Electric vehicles offer an opportunity for the Australian Army.
So says Royal Australian electrical and mechanical engineer officer Major Matthew Wood in a paper outlining benefits of electric or hybrid vehicle technologies which he says extend well beyond fuel efficiency and offer the army real opportunities to progress objective and future force capabilities.
“Globally, pressure is mounting on government entities to acknowledge and act on what is being popularised as a resource and climate change crisis,” Wood says, adding that such moves could lead to power and energy changes for the army too
.Citing global legislative pressure, industry disinvestment from internal combustion engines (ICE), and declines in production will constrain ICE to bespoke uses “if not extinction”.
Setting out the army’s strategy for future EV acquisition, Wood notes benefits include greater adaptability within EV platforms, instant acceleration, simplified maintenance, and increased fighting compartment volume – to name a few
Increasing demand for directed energy weapons (DEW) means EV systems can produce the amount of energy generation needed, he adds.
Wood suggests investment now could result in future savings.
