As the world moves towards eliminating fossil fuels, so too must the world’s militaries make that transition.
Currently few EV 4WD and off-road vehicles are available, but there are a number of businesses are seeking to fill that void to offer high spec conversion kits. So whilst wholesale transitioning of military vehicles off fossil fuels may be a way off, it is now possible to trial the technology using these kits.
In one sign of the times, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has just awarded a one-year contract to help the British Army understand the Defence application and constraints of electric propulsion.
The contract, awarded to defence company Babcock International, will involve converting four in-service military Land Rovers from diesel fuelled to EV using a drop-in kit and modified battery system from EV conversion business Electrogenic.
The vehicles will then be handed to the MOD’s Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU) for use in a series of experimental battlefield and military scenarios to assess their performance over steep terrain, wading and towing, as well as in different climate-related conditions.
“This is a great opportunity to investigate alternative engine technology, which will enable the British Army to extend the life of its Land Rovers as diesel becomes obsolete,” said Chris Spicer, Babcock’s Managing Director of Engineering and Systems Integration.
“I’m excited to see how the converted Land Rovers perform in a test environment against diesel and hybrid equivalents.”
The conversion kits from Electrogenic are designed to eliminate the manual gearbox but keep the transfer box to retain full four-wheel drive, high and low ratios, and the transfer box diff-lock. As such they operate much in the same was of an automatic transmission.
The battery boxes are also designed to leave the cabin space untouched. The kit includes AC and CCS DC charging, a cabin heater and a control system that supports different drive modes (e.g. sport, eco and town) and regen-delivered “engine braking” for controlled off-road hill descents.
Electrogenic also offer kits for other classic vehicles, including early series Land Rovers, the Jaguar E-Type and, as reported by the Driven earlier this year, the Porsche 911.
For those private owners of older Land Rovers and Land Rover Defenders who like to test the limits of their vehicles, the UK MOD trial vehicles will certainly be worth watching as they will show just how well the Electrogenic conversion kits hold-up in the harshest of off-road conditions.
For more information on the full range of Electrogenic conversion kits, see:
https://www.electrogenic.co.uk/conversion-kits
Bryce Gaton is an expert on electric vehicles and contributor for The Driven and Renew Economy. He has been working in the EV sector since 2008 and is currently working as EV electrical safety trainer/supervisor for the University of Melbourne. He also provides support for the EV Transition to business, government and the public through his EV Transition consultancy EVchoice.