Oshkosh Defense, the builder of the Humvee successor for the US military has unveiled a silent drive hybrid-electric Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), the eJLTV.
The company said the eJLTV offered the US Army and US Marine Corps the same level of performance and protection as the base JLTV with the addition of silent drive, extended silent watch, enhanced fuel economy, and increased exportable power that enables it to be used in combat and reconnaissance scenarios.
The eJLTV charges the battery while in use, fully recharging the lithium-ion battery within 30 minutes. This eliminates the need for a charging infrastructure, which remains one of the most significant challenges to the widespread electrification of the tactical wheeled vehicle fleet.
“For many years, we’ve been developing, testing and evolving hybrid-electric variants of our heavy and medium-duty tactical wheeled vehicles,” said John Bryant, executive vice president for Oshkosh Corporation and president of Oshkosh Defense. “Now, with the eJLTV, we’re offering our military customers an affordable way to electrify their light tactical wheeled vehicle fleet without compromising the off-road performance or superior protection necessary in combat operations.”
This year, the US Army plans to recompete the JLTV program and issue a follow-on production contract in September 2022. The follow-on contract, valued at $6.5 billion, includes an additional 15,468 vehicles and five order years followed by five options years, extending production through FY32.
“While the US Army has not requested a hybrid-electric JLTV as part of the JLTV recompete, the eJLTV proves that Oshkosh Defense has the team and technical capabilities to produce this highly capable vehicle today,” Bryant concluded.
Oshkosh Defense eJLTV from Oshkosh Defense on Vimeo.
The company did not elaborate on whether it would make the eJLTV available to the export market. It is already delivering the conventional JLTV to Belgium, Brazil, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Slovenia.
As stated by Oshkosh, the eJLTV improves fuel economy by more than 20 percent, provides battery capacity of 30kWh with opportunity for growth and eliminates the need for a towed generator by providing export power capacity of up to 115kW.
