The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded British aerospace, defense and nuclear engineering company Babcock International a one-year contract to assist the British Army in assessing the application of electric propulsion to its military vehicles through Project LURCHER.

Babcock, in collaboration with British electric conversion company Electrogenic, will convert four military Land Rovers, two protected vehicles and two general service vehicles from diesel to electric using drop-in kits and modified battery systems.

The army’s Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU) will then evaluate the vehicles’ performance with respect to a variety of challenging military conditions and tasks, including steep terrain, wading and towing and varying climatic parameters.

“ATDU is supporting Defence to fully realize the strengths and weaknesses of EV technology,” said ATDU’s Corporal Bryan Munce. “Mobility performance, exportable power, signature and cost reduction are just some of the considerations we will explore.”

Source: Babcock