Straightline

It sounds like we may be seeing some off-road-ready vehicles using hybrid power sometime in the future. At the recent NAIAS Jeep showed a hybrid Renegade (above) and Land Rover displayed their urban cruiser LR-X, both using hybrid power. In addition, the U.S. Army is developing a new diesel-electric ‘Alternative Mobility Vehicle’. For the Army, cutting fuel consumption is important because it constitutes 70% of the material it has to move into combat zones.

Jeep engineer Doug Quigly states that electric power is perfectly suited for off-roaders. “It’s perfect for rock crawling, hill climbing and hill descent,” he said. In addition he noted that hybrid vehicles also are able to travel in relative silence, a boon for traveling in the outdoors without disturbing the natural surroundings.

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