Even the Military Needs to Explore Alternative Fuel Options

With the public market turning toward alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles for farther travel on a tank of gas it seems the military has left itself far behind in the development of their vehicles. Shouldn’t some of those large people and gear movers be built with a hybrid engine to give them more distance from the fuel? Wouldn’t there be more torque for the off roading needs if an electric motor was put at every wheel on one of the five ton massive trucks or even on some of the smaller models? This is a question it seems the military is working on and beginning to develop.

Recently the Army began work with GM on a vehicle that will be powered only by hydrogen fuel cells. This vehicle could prove to be useful for both GM and the US Army. The purpose of this vehicle is to see how the military can use alternative energy sources in their vehicles to ensure they can have more power and better efficiency in a vehicle that is quieter than what they currently have in their lineup. Because the military has a habit of putting the vehicles through their paces, the Army and GM expect to see some seriously capable vehicles when this research is completed.

What vehicle did GM choose to use as a basis of this project? None other than the Chevrolet Colorado, which is one of the most successful midsized trucks on the market since GM reentered the market in recent years. Even though we currently see the Colorado as one of the most active trucks on the market, the version that’s being built for the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) offers massive wheels and a rugged high ground clearance to give the military a vehicle that could actually be the perfect addition to its arsenal and be powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

What will GM get out of this deal? Not only would they be the exclusive provider of military vehicles that use an alternative fuel cell, but they’re hoping to have the ability to use the fuel cell technology in their own commercial vehicles as early as 2020. This partnership could easily be one of the best ways GM could test the durability of the hydrogen fuel cells that will make their way into the rugged and power hungry Colorado military vehicles during this test.

Will this vehicle be only a concept or will it make its way to production? It may be too early to know, but both GM and the US Army aren’t calling this a concept vehicle. The expectation is this vehicle will be an amazing new addition to the vehicles the Army uses and may even be a vehicle that becomes shared across the different branches of the military if it’s successful. This may be the new wave of the future for the military as better alternative fuel sources are discovered and used in private vehicles and then tested for the military.