US Military Considering EVs like Tesla Semi for Remote Missions
The US military might be ready to introduce Tesla’s heavy-duty trucks any time. Reportedly, Lt. General and head of the US Army’s Futures and Concepts Center, Eric Wesley, has been working on a white paper concerning the use of electric vehicles by the military since April 2020. If agreed upon by all the concerned authorities, Tesla’s EV will introduce a smart and efficient way for the military to be present in the battlefield with zero casualty.
The white paper being prepared by Eric will serve as a recommendation letter for the US army, detailing them on the transition from internal combustion to military vehicles run on electricity. What set Wesley off was the evolution of big, battery-operated trucks manufactured by Tesla and firms working on similar projects.
However, electronic vehicles aren’t new to the US army. They have been in talks for over the past 5 years and might finally be trusted for use, if the document being prepared by Eric gets approved. The US military has considered the use of EVs in the past and explored options of various sizes and configurations.
Even though a lot of advanced prototypes have been kept open as options, progress in the battery technology has — for years — pushed the military towards larger battery-operated electric trucks.
Benefits Beyond Benefits
There isn’t just one benefit, but multiple in the case of electronic vehicles that make them deployable, especially the ones designed by Tesla. Soldiers on duty — even in the middle of the battlefield — can silently generate power for their combat equipment using the EVs. The equipment can be any, ranging from command networks, sensors, robots, or laser weapons.
Being battery-operated, heavy vehicles for military usage, the trucks are definitely heavy-weight and pose serious operational and mobility issues as a result. Wesley is well aware of these challenges and is still recommending them. Moreover, the lieutenant general is positive about using electronic vehicles in military due to their efficiency, readiness, and the operations it can carry out individually with guaranteed zero-casualty. Hence, Eric believes that it might take more than just a decade for EVs to be fully be deployed in the military before they replace soldiers where required.
