Hybrid versions of military vehicles make a lot of sense.  In a world where many of the battles are mired in the politics of oil, reducing oil consumption on the battlefield will certainly help with the politics.  The military also likes hybrid vehicles for their ability to run almost silent, reduction of heat, power generation capabilities, and oh yeah, they also reduce fuel usage.

So, where are the hybrid military vehicles?  There are many prototypes out there.  The U.S. Army has been testing a variety of hybrid trucks and hybrid “aggressor” vehicles.  The army was even testing GEM neighborhood vehicles for around the bases.  But so far there has not been significant adoption of hybrids.

The main reason appears to come down to the effectiveness of the vehicles.  However, the military does recognize the high cost of the fuel, particularly when arguing the budget within the Pentagon.  The military is expected to announce a replacement to the Humvee this year, and it’s not likely to be a hybrid.  However, it is likely to take advantage of some fuel saving technologies such as improved efficiency in transmissions, tires and driveshafts.  A new Bradley makeover is expected to yield prototypes in 2010 and 2011; whether these will be hybrids is unknown, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see prototypes with hybrid powertrains showing up.

Part of the challenge to hybridizing military vehicles is their weight and the abuse they have to stand up to.  The vehicles are not likely see the substantial gains in fuel economy that regular consumer vehicles do because they are so heavy – the new MRAP (“Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected” trucks) is a 10-ton vehicle and is reported to get less than one mile per gallon in city driving.  However, even modest gains in fuel economy can make big gains in budgeting challenges within the Pentagon.  While batteries have been proven on the battlefield in other electronic equipment and unmanned vehicles, the sheer size of batteries needed for vehicles adds new concerns about safety, reliability, and effectiveness.

It is highly likely that towards the end of the decade, the military will be utilizing some hybrid vehicles.  The number of prototypes and the variety of applications and benefits point to something coming soon (perhaps a combination of fuel cell and diesel engine).  The biggest challenge to adding hybrids to the military fleet may be the introduction of synthetic fuels made from coal which will do nothing for the logistical costs of transporting fuel on a battlefield, but will help with the oil-based politics.