Testing has begun at Fort Lewis, Washington, on two hybrid electric heavy truck demonstrators developed for the U.S. Army. The powertrain of the heavy-duty parallel hybrid vehicle — which officially goes by the name Future Tactical Truck System Maneuver Sustainment Vehicle, but will answer to FTTS-MSV — integrates an 8.8-liter Caterpillar C9 diesel engine, a 120 kW UQM hybrid electric motor, and a 336V 3 kWh Cobasys NiMH battery pack with a 7-speed automatic transmission.
The FTTS-MSV had already completed nearly 3,000 miles of testing prior to the current Military Utility Assessment (MUA) tests.
The highly fuel-efficient tactical vehicle should increase supply ranges to between 600 and 900 miles, depending on conditions, without increasing the fuel payload. Supply ranges for the tactical vehicles the FTTS-MSV will replace are only about 300 miles.
Hybrid Electric Future Heavy Truck Demonstrators Begin Testing [Green Car Congress]
