Electrogenic carries out R&D to develop electric drivetrain solutions for Defence applications.
Electric drivetrains are central to the future of army mobility. They are quiet, they have no heat signature and the overall fuel cycle (from diesel to motive power) is more efficient, which means fewer fuel convoys. Furthermore, soldiers are getting more wearable tech, vehicles have more comms and directed energy weapons are on the horizon, all of which means mobile electric power – which is what EV is all about. Lastly, and we can personally attest to this, the superiority of electric drive off-road significantly reduces driver fatigue – giving the driver more energy for other things. The British Army sets out some of its thinking here.
At Electrogenic, because we have our own VCU control software we can create different vehicle control strategies, integrate other technology and fit the drivetrain capabilities and responses to the application. We have some really interesting projects going that we can’t tell you about, but here is one that we can – Project LURCHER.
Project LURCHER
Project LURCHER is a pre-procurement exercise to assess the real-world issues in having EV technology in battlefield situations. The idea is to create learning that will help to ensure the right specifications go into a series of upcoming procurement processes for next-generation vehicles for the British Army.
To be cost-efficient and eliminate unknowns for the trials, four army Land Rovers are being converted to 100% electric power: 2 x RWMIK and 2 x TUM. The vehicles will be tested by the Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU) in a series of experimental battlefield / military scenarios. The specification of the electric Land Rovers includes a number of novel technologies including AC output to power mini-grids, and all conventional aspects of the vehicle performance will also be tested including steep terrain, wading and towing, ease of use, control modes, etc.
