Do electric horses dream of autonomous buggies?
The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
11–20 of 62 posts
Re: The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
#12Potential military application? The Hummer originally came from the battlefield after all.
Probably not.
1. Electric vehicles are a terrible fit for military operations
2. The actual HMMWV is a steaming pile of garbage. Not sure why the US Gov would want to buy an expensive version of the same thing
3. The HMMWV was recently replaced by the JLTV - it'll probably be at least 20 years before the next refresh cycle
Re: The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
#13Potential military application? The Hummer originally came from the battlefield after all.
Probably not. 1. Electric vehicles are a terrible fit for military operations 2. The actual HMMWV is a steaming pile of garbage. Not sure why the US Gov would want to buy an expensive version of the same thing 3. The HMMWV was recently replaced by the JLTV - it'll probably be at least 20 years before the next refresh cycle
On 1, how couldn't silent operation be anything but a boon. Airdropping battery packs would appear to be safer than gas right?
Re: The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
#14Potential military application? The Hummer originally came from the battlefield after all.
Probably not. 1. Electric vehicles are a terrible fit for military operations 2. The actual HMMWV is a steaming pile of garbage. Not sure why the US Gov would want to buy an expensive version of the same thing 3. The HMMWV was recently replaced by the JLTV - it'll probably be at least 20 years before the next refresh cycle
I have wondered about an electric tank. Some advantages. Doesn't require air. No thermal signature. Quiet potentially. Instant power. No diesel fuel to catch fire. No hydraulic system. Potentially redundant drive and actuators.
Re: The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
Probably not. 1. Electric vehicles are a terrible fit for military operations 2. The actual HMMWV is a steaming pile of garbage. Not sure why the US Gov would want to buy an expensive version of the same thing 3. The HMMWV was recently replaced by the JLTV - it'll probably be at least 20 years before the next refresh cycle
I have wondered about an electric tank. Some advantages. Doesn't require air. No thermal signature. Quiet potentially. Instant power. No diesel fuel to catch fire. No hydraulic system. Potentially redundant drive and actuators.
Sure. That's all good stuff.
But fundamentally, EVs really only work well when vehicles can recharge on a grid. The Military wants to be able to operate away from the grid.
Re: The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
Probably not. 1. Electric vehicles are a terrible fit for military operations 2. The actual HMMWV is a steaming pile of garbage. Not sure why the US Gov would want to buy an expensive version of the same thing 3. The HMMWV was recently replaced by the JLTV - it'll probably be at least 20 years before the next refresh cycle
On 1, how couldn't silent operation be anything but a boon. Airdropping battery packs would appear to be safer than gas right?
Airdropping battery packs would appear to be safer than gas right?
Absolutely not! A lithium battery is fragile and highly flammable. Diesel is much safer to transport.
Re: The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Probably not. 1. Electric vehicles are a terrible fit for military operations 2. The actual HMMWV is a steaming pile of garbage. Not sure why the US Gov would want to buy an expensive version of the same thing 3. The HMMWV was recently replaced by the JLTV - it'll probably be at least 20 years before the next refresh cycle
On 1, how couldn't silent operation be anything but a boon. Airdropping battery packs would appear to be safer than gas right?
> Airdropping battery packs would appear to be safer than gas right?
This is the most absurd statement I've read on HN in the past week. Just take 20 seconds and think about the logistics of a 60+ ton tank in the middle of nowhere doing a battery swap.
Re: The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
#18Wonder how they'll get on with Cybertruck.
Re: The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have wondered about an electric tank. Some advantages. Doesn't require air. No thermal signature. Quiet potentially. Instant power. No diesel fuel to catch fire. No hydraulic system. Potentially redundant drive and actuators.
Sure. That's all good stuff. But fundamentally, EVs really only work well when vehicles can recharge on a grid. The Military wants to be able to operate away from the grid.
With all this talk US military has been doing about the changing theater of war in XXI century, about how it needs to refocus on effective operations in urban areas, I wonder: do they always assume that the power grid will be off? If not, then there may be some utility in a light and fast electric vehicle that parasites off enemy's power grid (and has solars or diesel aggregate as backup).
Also, did the military consider hybrid vehicles for similar role? They have the capacity to operate off-grid, and also switch to completely silent when tactically useful.
Re: The Hummer is coming back as an electric vehicle
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
Probably not. 1. Electric vehicles are a terrible fit for military operations 2. The actual HMMWV is a steaming pile of garbage. Not sure why the US Gov would want to buy an expensive version of the same thing 3. The HMMWV was recently replaced by the JLTV - it'll probably be at least 20 years before the next refresh cycle
I have wondered about an electric tank. Some advantages. Doesn't require air. No thermal signature. Quiet potentially. Instant power. No diesel fuel to catch fire. No hydraulic system. Potentially redundant drive and actuators.
Electric motors still have a thermal signature, although obviously way smaller than a combustion engine + exhaust. Also, diesel doesn't really catch fire that easily (some tanks even proudly 'wear' extra fuel cans on their sides). Diesel is still very, very energy dense compared to batteries (for the time being), so for any campaigns away from established infrastructure, you'd rather be hauling diesel than batteries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stridsvagn_103#/media/File:Str...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density#/media/File:Ene...
