{"id":245711,"date":"2023-07-25T14:06:55","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T18:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=245711"},"modified":"2023-07-25T14:19:02","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T18:19:02","slug":"your-evs-battery-technology-could-power-the-u-s-militarys-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2023\/07\/your-evs-battery-technology-could-power-the-u-s-militarys-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Your EV Battery Technology Could Power the U.S. Military\u2019s Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
GM Defense’s Infantry Squad Vehicle uses Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 architecture.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

GM Defense is leveraging its corporate parent\u2019s Ultium battery technology that will bring electric power to the battlefront, a project being developed for the Defense Innovation Unit (or DIU), a Department of Defense (DoD) division founded to help the U.S. military make use of emerging technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative could lead to a future battery-electric vehicle (BEV) for the U.S. Marine Corps and will set the stage for standardization of their lithium battery platforms. The effort is meant to fulfill a 2030 federal government objective to \u201cmeet critical defense battery demand with multiple-source domestic suppliers,\u201d according to the DIU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means the same technology that underpins the GMC Hummer SUT and Silverado EV is undergoing testing for the DoD. Testing of Ultium batteries would initially lead to a battery module that would power drones communications and other battlefield electrified needs and be fitted to the four-seat Infantry Squad Vehicle<\/a><\/strong>, or ISV, a specialized infantry vehicle based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road to an electrified military<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last September, GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors, was one of five companies awarded the chance to develop a battery pack prototype. Five months later, the DIU announced the DoD\u2019s intention to accelerate adoption of commercial EV battery technology for military use by launching the Jumpstart for Advanced Battery Standardization project, or JABS. The effort looks to prototype battery systems using standardized state-of-the-art technology and manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
GM Defense\u2019s electric energy storage solution.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur strategy is to learn how large of a building block we can leverage, how to package the commercial technology into non-proprietary defense interfaces, and how to integrate batteries evolving at the speed of industry into defense platforms with static structures,\u201d said Daphne Fuentevilla, the deputy director of the Navy\u2019s operational energy office in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That strategy was put in motion late last month, when the DIU awarded GM Defense a second contract to prototype an energy storage unit for the DIU’s Stable Tactical Expeditionary Electric Power (STEEP) program to support tactical microgrid and energy management in remote, austere locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis contract award demonstrates our ability to leverage advanced commercial technologies and investments from our parent company, GM, to reduce warfighter fuel consumption, and lower acoustic and thermal signatures, while providing efficient energy at the tactical edge,\u201d says Steve duMont, president of GM Defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other automakers awarded<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Canoo
Canoo has already delivered an unspecified number of examples of a Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV) to the United States Army for analysis.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But GM Defense wasn\u2019t the only automaker awarded a contract by the DIU. Earlier this month, Texas-based EV startup Canoo, one of the other five companies charged with developing a technologically advanced commercial battery pack that can be scaled for military use, also was given the go-ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is far from Canoo’s first project for the DoD, as it delivered the Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV) to the U.S. Army for analysis late last year. With 600 horsepower and all-wheel drive, the LTV can be converted from a pickup to a flatbed truck, cargo vehicle or other configurations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And earlier this month, the neophyte automaker delivered three Crew Transportation Vehicles<\/a><\/span><\/strong> (CTVs) to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Merritt Island, Florida, for the Artemis lunar landing missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe LTV is another milestone proving the power of our technology and how it can be used, even in tactical situations,\u201d said Tony Aquila, chairman & CEO at Canoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Canoo isn\u2019t alone. In January, Lucid was issued an award to develop battery module prototypes for testing and analysis by DoD that, like other OEMs, would be used for integration in electrified tactical military vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two other unnamed manufacturers are also participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out with the old<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The new units would replace diesel generators currently used, which are either fully on or fully off, meaning a lot of fuel is wasted whether the amount of electricity used is large or small.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Canoo
One of three Canoo Crew Transportation Vehicles for use by NASA for its Artemis lunar landing missions.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The programs are seen as a stepping stone to the U.S. military putting battery electric vehicles (BEVs) onto the battlefield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With GM Defense already proving the merit of the turbo-diesel-powered ISV, a hybrid or BEV version isn\u2019t unimaginable. In fact, GM Defense\u2019s ISV family includes an All-Electric Military Concept Vehicle (eISV) that combines the nine-passenger ISV platform with a 3-Phase AC Permanent Magnet Motor and a 400-volt, 66-kWh battery with a two-speed transfer case, Dana front and rear electronic locking differentials, and a 2.62 low range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s not all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An autonomous eISV for transporting electronic weapons and defense into battle is also being designed. While the Marine Corps may not be ready for such a vehicle, GM Defense will have one ready when the DoD is. But odds are, so will Canoo and Lucid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, STEEP operational testing and evaluation is expected within 18-24 months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Will Ultium ultimately power the U.S. military? It could happen, but not without a challenge from Canoo and Lucid. TheDetroitBureau.com has more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13752,"featured_media":213513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,5,1608,10,1169,9],"tags":[11678,3636,11674,11671,11673,11672,6195,1420,11670,11675,3875,11679,11676,11677],"make":[44,58,79],"post-state":[],"category_old":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245711"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13752"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245711"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":245723,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245711\/revisions\/245723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245711"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=245711"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=245711"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=245711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}