Not talking about the army uniforms here, but this article from Wired.com reports the army is looking into hybrid vehicle technology. But from this picture its one but ugly vehicle that is unlikely to replace the Humvee as the dream vehicle of the real man. On the other hand suffering from abject poverty due to the cost of fuel their Humvee sucks down is unattractive.
This vehicle is powered by a small three cylinder diesel engine and 2 electric hybrid motors, it will cost approximately $20,000 and get 50 miles per gallon fuel efficiency.
One of the major design components is ease of maintenance with an unobstructed access to the engine electric motor and drivetrain. This is going to major factor in the adoption of hybrid vehicles. If your stop at the auto repair shop, costs two to three times that of the gasoline powered vehicle, fuel savings will not offset that cost.
The army does not intend to use this vehicle in combat but as a utility vehicle that the Humvee is overkill for.
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