Aug 17 2010
After testing its high speed flying jets with biofuel, the U.S.Navy has devised a plan to test, the use of solar power for its slow moving vehicles such as pickups, sedans, maintenance vehicles and vans.
Fleet of Navy Ships
The vehicles included in the Slow Moving Vehicles (SMV) group will run at a top speed of 25 mph and will be used within its premises at Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast in Jacksonville, Florida. The initiative is an outcome of a Navy instruction to make 50% reduction in petroleum use.
Southeast Command rated as one of the biggest fleets in the US Navy has the largest convoy of SMVs that are electric powered and it was looking for renewable source of energy to balance the ever increasing electric power demand of its vehicles. Out of its total number of 314 SMVs only 23 of them are solar powered. The command is planning to increase the strength of the SMVs to 412 by the year 2012 and to have 121 of them solar powered.
The electric powered vehicles are used for driving errands within the circumscribed premises of a submarine support station in Kings Bay Georgia where it is not possible to use fossil fuel powered vehicles due to emissions. It is also found that use of solar power also increases the battery life of the vehicles and brings down the maintenance costs.
Source: http://www.navy.mil/