ARMY BATTERIES
Forces to test electric Landies
ELECTRIC conversions for Army Land Rovers are to be tested in a drive to meet green targets.
A new research facility called Defence BattleLab will trial the battery-powered 4x4s for combat conditions – and is also assessing whether electric bikes have a place in modern warfare.
If successful, contracts would be offered to replace diesel engines in army Land Rovers with electric powertrains.
Firms said to be in the frame include Evarrati, a company known for converting iconic performance cars.
Such a move would bring the military into line with other public bodies as police forces and councils introduce electric vehicles into their fleets.
Cpl Bryan Munce, one of eight army staff working in the Defence BattleLab facility alongside academics and the private sector, told military magazine Soldier: “I’ll be assessing full-electric conversions of Landies against fossil-fuel equivalents and analysing the pros and cons of each in a military context.”
A source added: “I’d hope the testing is rigorous when one considers the current capacity of electric cars in domestic use.”