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The All Wheel Drive CERV is the Army Hybrid Concept car. It's a diesel-electric hybrid vehicle and it's a cross between a golf cart and a Humvee.
Military research and development has produced a lot of nifty technology over the years, including digital satellite technology, the internet and those awesome drone planes that look so cool in the movies. So what awesome piece of tech did the army unveil at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit? The Clandestine Electric Reconnaissance Vehicle or CERV for short. That’s right, the army is looking at employing a vehicle that partially runs on electricity. The army is going green.
Despite looking like an armoured golf cart, the CERV holds a lot of wow on its little frame. It’s an all-wheel drive diesel-electric hybrid mounted on a lightweight chassis. The military and its private-sector partner in developing the CERV, Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc., says the vehicle boasts an amazing 5000 ft-lb of torque and maintain speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. It can also climb 60 per cent grades. It can achieve this while using 25 per cent less fuel than conventional army vehicles, like the Humvee.
Both Quantum and the army’s research and development branch, The Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) are quite excited about the CERV. For Quantum, it prominently showcases their Q-Force hybrid engine and shows how much power can be produced from a small engine. For the army, switching to hybrid technology is something they think will save both dollars and lives. Using a hybrid vehicle cuts down the amount of fuel needed out in the field, which saves money. It also reduces the number of fuel resupply trucks that will be on the road in hot zones like Afghanistan and Iraq, meaning less soldiers at risk for attack.
The army plans to use the CERV for assignments involving reconnaissance, surveillance and target designation. There is no word on whether a civilian model will be made available to the public.