The study contract calls for system requirements definition and preliminary design work on a system that would enable a Humvee to generate 30 kilowatts of continuous mobile on-board power.

BAE Systems will apply its extensive power management experience in both military and commercial hybrid vehicles to its solution for the Marine Corps requirement. BAE Systems is the propulsion and power subsystem integrator for the Future Combat Systems Multifunction Utility/Logistics Equipment vehicle (MULE), and its commercial hybrid vehicles include buses that have logged more than 2 million miles of revenue service in New York City.

Buses equipped with BAE Systems' HybriDrive propulsion system typically achieve 25 percent to 35 percent greater fuel economy than standard diesel buses and generate significantly lower emissions.

"Our power management expertise has been recognized in both the military and commercial segments," said Hank McGlynn, vice president of Power Systems for BAE Systems. "The expertise we have built through these activities is directly applicable to the U.S. Marine Corps' need for the vehicle-based on-board power that will make possible the more-electric force of tomorrow."

The Office of Naval Research's On-Board Vehicle Power study contract includes an option to fund BAE Systems to develop a prototype system for installation on a Humvee to support U.S. government testing.

The Humvee is a highly mobile, diesel-powered, four-wheel-drive vehicle that can be configured for multiple purposes, including troop carrier, armament carrier, ambulance, and TOW missile carrier. It is designed for use on all types of roads and for cross-country use in all weather conditions.

Copyright 2005 by Space Daily, Distributed by United Press International