A Planning Committee established by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will develop a Workshop to explore how the Army can target its science and technology (S&T) investments to incorporate battery electric vehicle (BEV) and fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technologies into its light combat vehicle fleet by 2050. The two-day Workshop will look at challenges common to both approaches and investigate promising research opportunities that could reduce the Army’s dependencies on Jet Propellant 8 (JP8) fuel and help it achieve its climate goals.
The workshop will be organized around 3 themes:
1) Which technologies (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), BEV (with or without range extenders) or FCEV) show the most promising application across the Army’s various light combat vehicles and their associated operating environments? Participants will be asked to comment on each approaches’ overall potential for use in Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET), Light Reconnaissance Vehicles (LRV), Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV), and medium duty armored vehicles (<40 tons).
2) What challenges and research opportunities exist to the production, Storage, transportation, and refueling/recharging in the field? Participants will be asked to comment on promising research efforts that could solve these common challenges. Such possibilities could include swappable power packs and air drop deliveries, among others.
3) How do Army needs compare with and differ from those of the commercial sector? Where might the Army add value to existing work by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve both battery and fuel cell utility in the field? Participants will be asked to comment on such topics as: efficiency improvements, wireless power transfer, alternative sources of hydrogen/electricity, recapture of water from hydrogen fuel cells, and opportunities for Lithium based compounds to limit its flammability.
The Workshop will be designed to facilitate a candid conversation among participants and to foster effective collaboration between academic and industry professionals with Army’s S&T community of interest. All activities of the Workshop will be conducted in accordance with institutional guidelines.