The MillenWorks Light Utility Vehicle (LUV) is a prototype testbed for automotive technologies. It was designed and built by MillenWorks under contract to the

Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center The United States Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) (formerly United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC)), located in Warren, Michigan, is the United States Armed Forces' research and ...

. Textron Marine and Land Systems will use the platform for further development of component technologies. The vehicle was a possible Joint Light Tactical Vehicle candidate, but was not selected.

Design

The LUV has a very revolutionary

drivetrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) or transmission system, is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the driv ...

layout. The front wheels of the vehicle are powered by an

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

located under the hood, while the rear wheels are powered by a separate diesel-electric

parallel hybrid Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power, and can come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but swi ...

consisting of a second electric motor as well as a standard

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

M16 diesel motor. This eliminates the

driveshaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque, and rotation, usually used to connect ...

common on most 4WD vehicles, and reduces the chances of an IED "mobility kill", since a hit in either the front or rear will not completely incapacitate the vehicle. Eliminating the driveshaft also allows for greater ground clearance, which combined with a V-hull design, improves survivability from

land mine A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...

s, allowing the blast more space to dissipate. The vehicle's other safety features include scalable armor protection and a quick-release windshield for emergency egress. The front and rear sub-frames are identical, along with interchangeable suspension corners, which reduces the number of required spare parts. The

throttle A throttle is a mechanism by which fluid flow is managed by construction or obstruction. An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases (by the use of a throttle), but usually decreased. The term ''throttle'' ha ...

, braking system, and

steering Steering is the control of the direction of motion or the components that enable its control. Steering is achieved through various arrangements, among them ailerons for airplanes, rudders for boats, cylic tilting of rotors for helicopters, ...

are all x-by-wire

control system A control system manages, commands, directs, or regulates the behavior of other devices or systems using control loops. It can range from a single home heating controller using a thermostat controlling a domestic boiler to large industrial ...

s.MillenWorks – Driving Innovation
/ref> The driver sits in a centered position, similar to Rod Millen's Pikes Peak race cars and the

McLaren F1 The McLaren F1 is a sports car that was the first Motor vehicle type approval, type approved road-going sportscar manufactured by British Formula One team McLaren. It was the last road-legal, series-produced sportscar to win the 24 Hours of Le ...

. It is transportable by

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

, CH-47, and CH-53.

Sources

{{Modern IFV and APC Military light utility vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Textron Diesel–electric cars Hybrid trucks

Design

See also

Sources