U.S. Department of Defense policy requires energy efficiency improvement for all tactical systems with end items that create a demand for energy. DoD policy also includes energy efficiency and the fully burdened cost of energy as key factors in the assessment of system total ownership costs, the development and acquisition of future technologies, and the reset and modernization of existing systems.
The fuel-efficient MTVR program has been initiated to address these policies and create improvement in the fuel efficiency of tactical vehicles required to achieve Marine Corps fuel consumption reduction objectives as articulated in the Joint Vision 2020 and reiterated in 2009 Naval/Marine Corps energy forums.
Commencing in 2012, the program will construct and evaluate a fuel efficient MTVR technology demonstrator to assess fuel efficiency enabling technology options and concept feasibility, sub-component interoperability, system operability and producibility, and the fuel consumption reduction potential of selected suites of technologies. Subsystems to be evaluated will include a fuel efficient engine, electrified engine accessory machinery, advanced auxiliary power unit, energy storage, and a transmission mounted inline motor/generator for regenerative braking and electric propulsion assist.
Achieving the target 15 percent fuel efficiency improvement will exceed MTVR’s mile per gallon objective requirements, increase the base to objective range of MTVR, reduce battlefield fuel logistics requirements, and reduce the total ownership cost of MTVR through fuel consumption and logistics savings. The suite of affordable fuel efficient technologies is also applicable to other medium military vehicles