The Navy Car That Emits Only Water...

The Navy and Marines are advancing energy science for the rest of us. Interesting.

As the global automobile industry considers alternative energy sources to replace the traditional internal combustion engine, Jessie Pacheco, a mail clerk at Camp Pendleton, has been making his rounds to Marines in General Motors (GM) Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has sponsored the GM FCVs at Camp Pendleton since 2006 with two more scheduled to arrive later this year.

“These vehicles are the future,” says Pacheco. “It’s great to see people drive by me, giving me the thumbs up, and asking ‘Where can I get one?’”

“Fuel cell vehicle research is clearly a case where the Navy and Marine Corps need are propelling advanced technology that also has potential benefit to the public,” says Rear Admiral Nevin Carr, Chief of Naval Research. Within the Navy-Marine Corps Team, ONR has been researching power and energy technology for decades. Often the improvements to power generation and fuel efficiency for ships, aircraft, vehicles and installations have direct civil application for public benefit.

“There is not a drop of oil in it,” explains Shad Balch, a GM representative at Camp Pendleton. “The electric motor provides maximum instant torque right from the get go.” The efficiency of a hydrogen-powered fuel cell may prove to be twice that of an internal combustion engine, if not greater, adds Balch.

From an operational perspective, the fuel cell vehicle is quiet yet powerful, emits only water vapor, uses fewer moving parts compared to a combustion engine, and offers an alternative to the logistics chain associated with current military vehicles.

Read the rest. Very interesting.