Well, at least the name doesn’t sound as goddamned sissy as most of the hybrids we’re able to buy back at home. At the Popular Mechanics blog, Brittany Marquis says:
The diesel-electric hybrid hype has met its match: the U.S. Army. After focusing on hydrogen fuel cells in its original version of “The Aggressor,” a high-performance, off-road Alternative Mobility Vehicle (AMV) for military ground exploration and scouting missions, the Pentagon is now going the way of Detroit—with batteries.The new, second-generation prototype will still utilize the same basic chassis and exterior design for light-duty capacity. But the Army’s auto research arm—part of the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC)—has developed a battery-dominant, hybrid-electric drivetrain with a diesel engine-generator. That could make the new Aggressor the first hybrid to hit the streets of Baghdad en masse.
Link [via Boing Boing]
Why do I get the feeling this sounds too dog and pony show and no guts. After all the clamor for a military vehicle that handles roadside bombs better, I doubt they’d go for this. Besides anyone driving in it would easy targets for snipers and RPGs.
Tags: Automobile, Engineering, Interesting, Military, Technology
January 16th, 2008 at 1:02 am
Hey, this looks pretty impressive. I didn’t know the army were going green too?