HARNESSING THE SUN


AMSAA looks at advances in solar energy as a way to maintain the bat teries powering infrequently used Army vehicles.


by Mr. Kevin Guite and Mr. Brian Frymiare F


or those holding onto a restored 1968 Camaro in the garage or that old Ford F100 inherited from your uncle and sitting under the backyard tree, it should not be a shock to find that the batteries in those vehicles exemplify the axiom “use it or lose it.” Te Army faces a similar chal-


lenge, though one of far greater magnitude, with its vast fleet of tactical wheeled vehicles (TWVs), which make up nearly 65 percent of the Army’s total vehicle inventory. Te TWV category—approximately 400,000 vehicles—includes everything from lighter vehicles like the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle and its variants all the way up to massive, multiton vehicles like the Pal- letized Load System.


Most of these vehicles stand by until needed, which means that nearly 75 per- cent of the TWV fleet can be characterized as low-usage, or operated fewer than 3,000 miles each year. Low-usage TWV systems have proven to be a big part of the Army’s battery failure-and-replacement cycle. Tese vehicles are critical components of the global sustainment mission, needed to transport supplies and equipment to and around the battlefield. But the reality of a use-it-or-lose-it approach to battery life quietly attacks the readiness of the fleet.


Data acquired through the Army Sample Data Collection and Analysis (SDC&A) program highlights the accelerated battery replacement rate for the TWV fleet. Te SDC&A program, established through DOD Directive 4151.18, collects


ASC.ARMY.MIL


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LOGISTICS


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