The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (also called the CLEAN Energy Act), requires the Army to reduce its annual petroleum consumption by 2 percent through 2015 and reduce petroleum use by 20 percent while increasing alternative fuel use by 10 percent.
Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem are doing their part to help the Army meet this goal by incorporating hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), into its fleet of duty vehicles.
HEVs combine a conventional propulsion system with a rechargeable energy storage system to achieve better fuel economy than a conventional "gas only" vehicle.
Its secondary propulsion system means it does not require recharging visits to an electrical charging unit. More than 477 HEVs have already been delivered to Army installations. Although Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem haven't yet received any of the HEVs, the vehicles are on the way.
"We have 18 electric carts, and are expecting eight HEVs in October," said Anthony Sims, fleet manager, Directorate of Public Works/Directorate of Logistics. "They'll be good for us to have, because they save on gas and cut down on pollution."
The Army began leasing fuel-efficient HEVs six months ago from the General Service Administration, the federal agency that purchases non-tactical vehicles for the federal government.
In its "stand-to" publication released Sept. 1, the Army stated, "We must build trust and confidence that the Army is a good steward of its resources and responsibilities and can be counted on to do what's right.
The Army must do its part to reduce fossil fuel consumption and to minimize the cost impact that energy has upon the operations budget." According to the "stand-to," the use of these vehicles will have the immediate benefit of reducing fossil fuel consumption.
This is due to the HEVs averaging 40 miles per gallon, which lowers fuel costs, and can reduce "greenhouse" gas emissions by more than 50 percent.
An example of this is that a HEV can save gas by switching to its electrical power source when the vehicle is idle until the driver accelerates again.
However, if the vehicle is left in an electric idling position for an extended period, the storage battery will start up the gas engine in order to recharge the storage battery. Hybrid vehicles may also have an effect on the battlefield, as Army staff estimate a one percent reduction of fuel consumption in theater means roughly 6,000 fewer Soldier fuel convoys.
This means fewer lives could be potentially lost during operations to protect the fuel. The Army will review the HEV project to compare the ratio of the higher initial cost for HEVs to conventional, gas-only vehicles. For now, the Army will continue to use HEVs to lead the way in using new sciences to preserve the environment.
"The Army is leading the way in utilizing hybrid technologies," said the Army in its Stand-to release. "By creating energy efficient operations in our daily lives and in our training, we can better prepare our Soldiers to deploy and fight in a manner that will yield a tactical advantage over our enemies."
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