The Australian Army has revealed a prototype electric vehicle (EV) conversion of one of its famed Bushmaster protected-personnel carriers, citing hoon-grade speeds of 0-60km in around three seconds for what is essentially a 12-tonne armoured truck.
The EV conversion of the Bushmaster is cited by Defence as “the first Australian electrification of a military vehicle” with larger hardware, including tracked vehicles also in the Army’s sights as it looks to extract a tactical advantage from the renewable power plant.
Advanced militaries across the world have, for decades, been mulling conversions to electrically-powered equipment because the technology is far quieter and more energy efficient than conventional fuel combustion powerplants.
However much of the research into battery technology was initially centred around soldier-carried equipment and electronics that have become increasingly networked and linked to communications, control, command and intelligence systems.
That’s now changing rapidly with the revelation of the electric Bushmaster test-bed, given large military EVs potentially offer significant operational advantages because they are much quieter and emit far less detectable heat, known as a thermal signature, exploited to detect adversaries.
“It’s quieter and less warm,” said Colonel Robin Smith, director of the Army’s Robotic and Autonomous Systems Implementation and Coordination Office. “This one uses no fuel but if we do a hybrid, that will use a lot less fuel than a regular Bushmaster.”
Colonel Smith said because the EV Bushmaster was “software-driven”, making it into an autonomous vehicle was also easier.
Autonomy is a major advantage for military vehicles because it allows them to be controlled remotely, allowing extraction if the crew is incapacitated, or remote-controlled vehicles to be sent in if others are damaged.
To get the revered Bushy running on electricity — officially it’s dubbed an ePMV or electric Protected Mobility Vehicle — Army got rid of the diesel engine and gearbox.
The conventional drivetrain and motor were replaced by a pair of lithium-ion batteries linked to electric motors powering each axel.
Being able to swap out powerplant and drive trains is a key consideration in whether or not to retain or replace the Bushmaster’s armoured hull that was battle proven in Afghanistan, where its deflective properties made it more survivable against improvised explosive devices.
Smaller motors also create more cabin space, making the vehicles less cramped and able to carry more equipment.
“It’s wickedly fast and we’ll be trialling speeds. Up to 100km/h will take about 12 seconds, where the normal Bushmaster takes 42 seconds,” Colonel Smith said.
“The first version has about a 100km range, but a planned larger battery should increase this to 350km. There’s also work to mount small external generators, increasing the range to about 1000km.”
In terms of the power the ePMV chews through, Colonel Smith said, there was enough battery capacity could run the “average Australian home for just over six days.”
Summernats, here we come.
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