Efforts by the US army to reduce dependence on fossil fuels for military operations around the world have moved a step closer, as a US automotive supplier agreed to develop an off-road vehicle for the military powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
The US military wants to lower its reliance on diesel to fuel its tanks and military vehicles in the wake of campaigns in Iraq, where a gallon of tank fuel cost about $400 (€340) due to high transportation costs. Fuel makes up about 70 per cent of the supplies transported by the US military.
California-based Quantum Fuel System Technologies is to build a prototype vehicle, which the US army hopes will form the basis for a fleet of vehicles that run virtually silently, and at a fraction of the cost of gasoline-powered vehicles.
Andy Abele of Quantum says his company will integrate a hydrogen fuel cell power unit into a two-seater vehicle that will be smaller than the US army's existing Humvee.