A major breakthrough in the development of electric vehicles (EVs) went largely unnoticed in Asia last week, but promises to be a game-changer that could jump-start the manufacture and use of EVs in the region and fast-track the reduction of carbon emissions globally.
The breakthrough came in the announcement by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), the military vehicle manufacturing unit of General Motors, that it is developing a hybrid technology for military vehicles, particularly for Humvees and tanks.
Without going through the numbers, it is well-known that the US military is the largest institutional user of fuel in the US and most probably the largest carbon emitter among such users.
One part of the US military’s programme to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions is the transition to the use of hybrid vehicles, whose engines use two or more distinct types of power, such as battery and fuel. Unlike EVs, hybrids use electric power to reduce their consumption of fuel or oil.
Hybrids are a transitional technology that can be used before the world is ready to switch completely to EVs.
GDLS is developing the StrykerX, a hybrid system that will allow combat military vehicles to use battery-only power for what it describes as "optimized movement at high speeds and longer distances, and to undertake silent operations when needed". This means the vehicles will still be using fuel but at a much reduced level because battery power will "optimized" the operation of the engine. In other words, battery power will complement the use of fuel to run the vehicle and also allow it to perform other functions suitable for military use.
This engine system originally designed for lighter military combat vehicles, such as Humvees, is also being designed for large combat vehicles, such as tanks, with the aim of reducing engine size and drastically cutting fuel consumption. Existing tanks have humongous engines and consume enormous amounts of fuel.
One tank the GDLS is developing an engine for is the AbramsX, which will use a hybrid electric drive focused on using a smaller and lighter engine but can still provide enough power to operate the tank, with the battery power providing an extra boost in especially tough conditions.
Eventually these hybrid systems can be used for civilian vehicles. And when that happens, EVs will be the same size as present-day SUVs and run on the same power, but these vehicles will be much more fuel efficient and emit less carbon.
This will address the issue often raised by critics of EVs that they are restricted in size have less power than vehicles with traditional combustion engines.
Hybrid technology may also partly address the urgent need to build massive electric charging networks that will cost billions of dollars in towns and cities first before the use of EVs can become widespread. These massive charging networks will have to be built eventually anyway but the availability of better hybrids may allow them to be built in a more measured approach over a longer period that will allow government transport authorities more time to generate resources, amend transport policies and regulations, and conduct user education programs. This is crucial especially for the huge megalopolises that we have in developing Asia particularly Metro Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Djakarta and Bangkok.
GDLS is also developing hybrid systems that can be installed in existing traditional (non-EV) vehicles. When these are available, it will be possible to take out the combustion engine from an existing Humvee or tank and replace it with a hybrid engine.
It will still take some time, but the long-term implication of these developments in hybrid engine technology is massive in terms of fast-tracking the transition to pure EVs and reduction in carbon emissions.
With the on-going war in Ukraine, the rising cost of oil, and supply constraints arising from geopolitical tensions, such as the recent cutbacks by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the widespread use of hybrid engine technology cannot come fast enough.
