GM’s recent military truck is an electrical Silverado HD with diesel fumes

• Diesel engine appears to charge only, with electric motors providing propulsion
• The formula balances military fuel infrastructure with stealthier electric propulsion
• GM previously abandoned truck hybrids but this 12 months confirmed PHEVs are coming

General Motors has turned a Chevrolet Silverado heavy-duty pickup truck right into a combat-ready hybrid.

Unveiled this week on the annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA), the GM Next Gen tactical vehicle prototype is predicated on the off-road-focused Chevy Silverado 2500HD ZR2. But as a substitute of the gasoline or diesel V-8 engines of civilian models, the tactical truck combines a smaller 2.8-liter turbodiesel inline-4 with a 12-module battery pack and electric motors powering the front and rear axles.

GM’s light-on-details description of the project sounds similar in approach to the plug-in hybrid system utilized in the defunct Chevrolet Volt, through which the engine is primarily used as a generator for electric motors that provide most of the particular propulsion. On this case, they could provide all the propulsion, which might make it a series hybrid.

Assuming the modules on this battery pack are the identical large-format pouch-cell modules GM previously termed Ultium, this may offer in regards to the same 102-kwh battery capability—enough to go greater than 100 miles all-electric, even in a bulky armored military truck.

GM abandoned hybrids of any kind just a few years ago, but earlier this 12 months it indicated it could bring plug-in hybrid powertrains back.

The electrified powertrain offers several benefits, in keeping with the corporate, including the flexibility to silently ingress and egress from dangerous areas, and a lower thermal signature that also makes the truck harder to detect. Use of a diesel engine also makes logistics simpler, because the truck can utilize existing military fueling infrastructure if charging is not available, GM argues.

GM Defense Next Gen tactical vehicle prototype

The battery pack can be used as an influence source for equipment, and the truck retains lots of the motive force aids from civilian models, including antilock brakes, stability control, and a 360-degree camera system. It’s available in two-, four- and six-seat configurations.

GM has tried to repurpose a few of its other EV tech for military applications. In 2021, the automaker announced plans to construct prototypes of an all-electric military vehicle based on the GMC Hummer EV, and unveiled an idea version in 2023. Earlier this 12 months, GM also said it was supplying batteries to the military for research purposes, but mainly taking a look at energy storage reasonably than electric vehicles.