Hub-drive design and development contract will improve mobility and survivability
NewsSeptember 11, 2015
WALES. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected QinetiQ to develop an electric hub-drive to improve survivability and mobility of military ground vehicles. The contract estimates its total at $1.5 million, but if all options are exercised it could go up to $2.7 million.
The contract will fall under DARPA’S Ground X-Vehicle Technology (GXV-T) program. QinetiQ engineers hope to the hub-drive design will improve mobility through enhanced power, torque, integral breaking and high efficiency – contained within a 20” wheel rim unit. The shafts and gearboxes will be removed to increase survivability.
“Like cavalry horses throughout history, vehicles risk becoming less mobile as they are loaded with more armour and weaponry to meet the evolving demands of warfare. Our hub-drive tackles that threat by combining optimum performance with a significant weight saving, which is critical for mobility. It also introduces a far greater degree of architectural flexibility, enabling vehicles to be configured in ways which offer greater protection to their occupants," says Dr David Moore, Director of Research Services at QinetiQ.
