NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION ORGANISATION AC/323(AVT-047)TP/61 www.rta.nato.int RTO TECHNICAL REPORT TR-AVT-047 All Electric Combat Vehicles (AECV) for Future Applications (Les véhicules de combat tout électrique (AECV) pour de futures applications) Report of the RTO Applied Vehicle Technology Panel (AVT) Task Group AVT-047 (WG-015). Published July 2004 Distribution and Availability on Back Cover NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION ORGANISATION AC/323(AVT-047)TP/61 www.rta.nato.int RTO TECHNICAL REPORT TR-AVT-047 All Electric Combat Vehicles (AECV) for Future Applications (Les véhicules de combat tout électrique (AECV) pour de futures applications) Report of the RTO Applied Vehicle Technology Panel (AVT) Task Group AVT-047 (WG-015). The Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) of NATO RTO is the single focus in NATO for Defence Research and Technology activities. Its mission is to conduct and promote co-operative research and information exchange. The objective is to support the development and effective use of national defence research and technology and to meet the military needs of the Alliance, to maintain a technological lead, and to provide advice to NATO and national decision makers. The RTO performs its mission with the support of an extensive network of national experts. It also ensures effective co-ordination with other NATO bodies involved in R&T activities. RTO reports both to the Military Committee of NATO and to the Conference of National Armament Directors. It comprises a Research and Technology Board (RTB) as the highest level of national representation and the Research and Technology Agency (RTA), a dedicated staff with its headquarters in Neuilly, near Paris, France. In order to facilitate contacts with the military users and other NATO activities, a small part of the RTA staff is located in NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The Brussels staff also co-ordinates RTO’s co-operation with nations in Middle and Eastern Europe, to which RTO attaches particular importance especially as working together in the field of research is one of the more promising areas of co-operation. The total spectrum of R&T activities is covered by the following 7 bodies: • AVT Applied Vehicle Technology Panel • HFM Human Factors and Medicine Panel • IST Information Systems Technology Panel • NMSG NATO Modelling and Simulation Group • SAS Studies, Analysis and Simulation Panel • SCI Systems Concepts and Integration Panel • SET Sensors and Electronics Technology Panel These bodies are made up of national representatives as well as generally recognised ‘world class’ scientists. They also provide a communication link to military users and other NATO bodies. RTO’s scientific and technological work is carried out by Technical Teams, created for specific activities and with a specific duration. Such Technical Teams can organise workshops, symposia, field trials, lecture series and training courses. An important function of these Technical Teams is to ensure the continuity of the expert networks. RTO builds upon earlier co-operation in defence research and technology as set-up under the Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development (AGARD) and the Defence Research Group (DRG). AGARD and the DRG share common roots in that they were both established at the initiative of Dr Theodore von Kármán, a leading aerospace scientist, who early on recognised the importance of scientific support for the Allied Armed Forces. RTO is capitalising on these common roots in order to provide the Alliance and the NATO nations with a strong scientific and technological basis that will guarantee a solid base for the future. The content of this publication has been reproduced directly from material supplied by RTO or the authors. Published July 2004 Copyright © RTO/NATO 2004 All Rights Reserved ISBN 92-837-1110-6 Single copies of this publication or of a part of it may be made for individual use only. The approval of the RTA Information Management Systems Branch is required for more than one copy to be made or an extract included in another publication. Requests to do so should be sent to the address on the back cover. ii RTO-TR-AVT-047 All Electric Combat Vehicles (AECV) for Future Applications (RTO-TR-AVT-047) Executive Summary During the last ten years, several studies and demonstrator projects dealing with electric and hybrid electric vehicles were carried out in the United States and Europe, both in the military and the commercial sectors. Three of these studies were conducted under the NATO Long Term Scientific Studies; namely LTSS43, LTSS47 and LTSS50. The current effort was performed by Task Group AVT-047. It analysed new electric technologies, technology requirements, systems for mobility, survivability and lethality. These included the pulse power requirement and the energy storage needed to meet all vehicle power requirements and identified enabling technologies that require further development and/or breakthroughs. The previous studies served as a basis for investigating the potential payoffs versus the technical issues and challenges. The study was complemented by a vehicle demonstration AVT-098 held in Spring 2003 in Brasschaat, Belgium where several hybrid and mechanical drive vehicles were demonstrated on a test track running side by side to highlight the advantages of the electric powered vehicles. The main conclusions that resulted from the study are summarized below: • Hybrid electric drive systems are needed to support military missions and commercial applications. • Automotive performance of hybrid electric vehicles in terms of speed, acceleration, gradeability and stealthy operations is superior to the performance of mechanically driven vehicles. • Hybrid electric drive systems provide better fuel economy than their mechanical counterparts due to the use of optimum engine performance and energy recovery during braking. • The fuel economy gain has not yet been quantified and will require extensive field testing before any prediction is substantiated. Current predictions range from 20% to 30% improvement based on various mission scenarios. • Energy storage onboard hybrid electric vehicles can support silent watch operations and also electric weapons such as Electro-thermal Chemical (ETC) Gun and Directed Energy Weapons (DEW). • Emerging technologies such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Lithium Ion Batteries will greatly enhance the packaging and integration of the hybrid electric drive systems for both continuous and pulsed power in a combat vehicle. • Life Cycle Cost (LCC) studies are based on models with existing systems as baselines and cannot be totally substantiated without extensive field testing. However, the results available today show that development costs for hybrid electric drives are currently excessive. However, most of these costs are likely to be offset in the long run by the fuel and maintenance savings. • Pulsed power technology particularly for ETC gun applications is achievable and can be integrated in combat vehicles depending on the its size and repetition rate requirements. The study result and conclusions are detailed in the report. The task group responsible for the study is convinced of the viability of electric drive for military and civilian applications. A study on the criteria such vehicles have to meet has been initiated as AVT-106 on Hybrid Vehicle Rating Criteria drawing on the expertise of the experts already having been involved in the development and maturation of hybrid electric systems. RTO-TR-AVT-047 iii Les véhicules de combat tout électrique (AECV) pour de futures applications (RTO-TR-AVT-047) Synthèse Au cours de la dernière décennie, un certain nombre d'études et de projets de démonstration de véhicules électriques et hybrides ont été réalisés aux Etats-Unis et en Europe, tant dans le secteur civil que militaire. Trois de ces études furent conduites dans le cadre des Etudes scientifiques à long terme de l’OTAN ; à savoir LTSS43, LTSS47 et LTSS50. Le projet qui fait l’objet de la présente synthèse a été réalisé par le groupe de travail AVT-047. Le groupe a fait le point des nouvelles technologies électriques, des besoins technologiques, ainsi que des systèmes assurant la mobilité, la surviabilité et la létalité. Entre autres, il a examiné les besoins en courant pulsé, ainsi que les capacités de stockage d’énergie nécessaires pour répondre à l'ensemble des besoins d'énergie des véhicules. En plus, le groupe a identifié les technologies clés devant être développées davantage et/où pour lesquelles des progrès décisifs seraient souhaitables. Les études antérieures ont servi de base pour l’examen des gains possibles par rapport aux différents défis et questions techniques. L’étude a été complétée par une démonstration de véhicules AVT-098 organisée au printemps 2003 à Brasschaat, en Belgique, qui a rassemblé différents véhicules à transmission mécanique et hybrides, roulant côte à côte sur une piste d’essais, afin de démontrer les avantages des véhicules électriques. Les principales conclusions de l’étude sont résumées ci-après : • Des systèmes de propulsion électriques hybrides sont demandés pour le soutien des missions militaires, ainsi que pour des applications commerciales. • Les performances automotives des véhicules électriques hybrides en termes de vitesse, d'accélération, de capacité de gravissement de pente et d'opérations furtives sont supérieures à celles des véhicules à propulsion mécanique. • Les systèmes de propulsion électriques hybrides