UK-based global major power and propulsion systems group Rolls-Royce has announced that its Germany-based Power Systems division has launched a hybrid diesel and battery-electric powerpack concept for armoured vehicles.

The new powerpack is being showcased at the Eurosatory defence exhibition currently under way in Paris.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems’ mtu brand has a long and successful record in providing diesel power plants for armoured vehicles operated by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), and other, countries. 

“Future armoured military land vehicles will require more power for propulsion and on-board power supply for the electronic systems,” pointed out Rolls-Royce Power Systems global government business VP Knut Müller. “At the same time, they will be designed for a different tactical approach in the field. Our future mtu propulsion solutions for this application take both of these requirements into account.”

The group affirms that hybridising and electrifying armoured vehicles will give them new tactical capabilities. The new concept combines a high-performance diesel engine with a battery-electric drive, in a highly integrated propulsion system. This will, the company assured, need “comparatively little installation space”, as the drive was “extremely compact”, thereby ensuring that the greatest possible vehicle volume was available for crew and equipment. The design of the system also took into consideration issues such as tight budgets, cost pressures, and the need for particularly Nato countries to significantly upsize their armoured vehicle fleets.

“This propulsion concept will expand the operational possibilities of future tracked armoured vehicles in a way that was previously hardly imaginable,” highlighted Rolls-Royce Power Systems military engines and systems development head Christian Wolf. “We are convinced that we are making an important contribution to the further development of the defence capabilities of Nato and its allies. For the first time, vehicle manufacturers will be able to realise completely new vehicle concepts, whereby the hybrid concept can in principle be implemented with any engine series from the mtu military propulsion programme.”

The batteries will be charged by the diesel engine. The batteries will then provide power when the vehicle needs to operate quietly. For example, when it was stationary in a concealed position, the batteries would power its electrical and electronic systems, instead of having to keep the diesel engine idling. The use of battery power would eliminate the noise and especially thermal footprints created by idling the diesel, making the vehicle much more difficult for an enemy to locate. The batteries would also provide power to the onboard systems for longer than the idling diesel could. Use of the batteries would also “significantly” cut fuel consumption, increasing the real-world range of the vehicle and so optimising the downstream fuel supply chain it would need.

Further, Rolls-Royce has developed a customised silencer to fit to the hybrid propulsion system’s diesel engine. “The advantages of ‘mild’ hybridisation are demonstrated by the combined drive on slow journeys, when the vehicle tracks generate little noise,” cited the group. “The noise generated by the drive is reduced to a minimum, making it considerably more difficult to detect the vehicle.”

The electric drive could also act as a booster for very dynamic acceleration, as well as reducing the noise emitted by the vehicle when it was driving, at both low speeds and high speeds. “This allows us to utilise the advantages of hybridisation in all operating modes,” stated Müller.