GM Defense is showcasing its Electric Military Concept Vehicle at Modern Day Marine 2023. (Breaking Defense/ Ashley Roque)
MODERN DAY MARINE 2023 — With the US military services eyeing their options for new electric vehicles, GM Defense unveiled a new hybrid concept based on its GMC Hummer all-electric pickup at this year’s Marine Corps exposition in Washington, DC.
“We’re trying to showcase what is in the realm of the possible just so we can get the discussion going and help shape their future requirements,” a company spokeswoman told Breaking Defense today. “They get to see the different sizes and how to customize it, the different options.”
Dubbed the Electric Military Concept Vehicle (eMCV), the design incorporates the Hummer electric vehicle’s chassis and suspension system, but includes larger, 37-inch tires, along with a different brake system to make it more apt for off-road maneuver, said Paul Beaker, the company’s chief engineer and director for advanced product development.
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The company says it also includes a 24-module, double-stacked (200+ kilowatt hour) Ultium battery pack as the primary source of power, while also outfitted with a 12-kilowatt diesel-powered generator for limited charging, thus making it a series hybrid. The company claims that its eMCV has a 300-mile final combined driving range and can charge up for a 100-mile drive in 12 minutes. As a reminder this would be a military asset, the concept vehicle on display this week also donned a 46-inch gun ring and a swing side-arm mount.
Currently, as Beaker noted, it’s not designed for a specific request, but rather to inform the company’s continued Next Generation Light Tactical Wheeled Vehicle development, and its bid for the Army’s Electric Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (eLRV) program.
Beaker declined to detail just what the company’s eLRV proposal will entail but said one is in the works.
Earlier this month, the Army took its next step launching an eLRV prototyping competition when it published a draft request for prototype proposals notice. In it, the service said it plans to field the vehicle to its Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) as an “enhanced mobility, lethality, protection, mission load capacity, and onboard power for a six-soldier scout squad” on reconnaissance and security missions.
“The eLRV will operate in conjunction with the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) and Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) platforms to enhance the lethality, mobility, and survivability of the IBCT,” the Army wrote then.
