Army Debuts Fuel-Efficient Concept Vehicle

April 24, 2012
The Army will publicly debut a new fuel-efficient concept vehicle that significantly improves fuel economy and has the capability to generate and export power for soldiers in severe locations like Afghanistan

The Army will publicly debut a new fuel-efficient concept vehicle that significantly improves fuel economy and has the capability to generate and export power for soldiers in severe locations like Afghanistan.

The Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED) Bravo will be on display at the Society of Automotive Engineers 2012 World Congress this week at Cobo Center in Detroit.

True to this year’s SAE 2012 theme, Get Connected, the FED Bravo ventured into uncharted territory when the Army collaborated with students at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit, to design the new concept vehicle. CCS has a thriving, highly respected automotive design program to feed the styling studios of the Big Three car companies. A group of 18 CCS students designed the vehicle to meet specific Army requirements for fuel economy, performance, protection, payload and interior layout.

The display will also feature a small TM3 microgrid system. When the FED Bravo plugs into the TM3, it is capable of providing power for Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and other small military outposts, significantly reducing power requirements, making Soldiers more efficient and safer. There will also be a scale model of the Army’s new Ground Systems Power and Energy Laboratory (GSPEL) on display at SAE.