On diesel-electric and JLTV

Wired.com published a story about the impending JLTV contracts. I found the criticism of diesel-electric technology an interesting point.

If the report is correct, it marks a potential victory for Prius-style hybrid designs at the Pentagon: The Northrop-Oshkosh entry is built around a diesel-electric power train. Many observers -- and members of Congress -- have expressed skepticism about the maturity of hybrid technology for military vehicles.

It seems to me that the proposed application of diesel-electric power to the JLTV prototypes has more in common with the diesel locomotive. Diesel locomotives typically use a great big diesel engine to run electric generators which in turn provide the motive force for the driving wheels. The concerning part of "hybrid" technology, as I understand it, concerns the batteries used to store generated power in a vehicle such as the Prius. The advantages of diesel-electric to the JLTV program go way beyond fuel economy, with the two most obvious being no need for a transmission and drive train and the considerable power the system can develop.

On the other hand, the JLTV is also expected to provide energy for a variety of applications (such as the communications boxes that one of the required configurations is intended to acommodate). In any event it appears that the vehicles will have to go out on a bit of a technological limb to provide that capability.

Quickie update:

Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh believe the design gives them an enormous power advantage. Noting that specifics are competitive sensitive, Taylor said: "This technology provides not only exportable power but also a great deal of power to the vehicle, which means agility, performance, and the ability to deal with payloads, such as the C4ISR systems it carries."

The design also offers more flexibility and modularity and the ability to tailor engineering solutions. Since diesel-electric power eliminates the need for a transmission and conventional drive train -- the so-called "doghouse" and drive shaft hump -- engineers can tailor and create a more spacious and efficient crew compartment with optimal armor protection.

10-29-08 Edited to make the root word "common" less common.