The US Army Tank-Automotive Research Development Engineering Command (TARDEC) has selected Saft, a world specialist in the design and manufacture of high-tech batteries, to enhance the efficiency of military vehicle operations. The $1.2 million contract will focus on the design and demonstration of Saft’s high-power lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, to address the requirements for next-generation hybrid electric military-vehicles.

Saft’s high-power batteries will provide TARDEC’s vehicles with enhanced performance while significantly reducing vehicle costs. The US Army TARDEC is responsible for providing soldiers with unrivaled battlefield capabilities, including mobility, lethality and survivability. Headquartered in Warren, Michigan, TARDEC ensures that US soldiers are prepared for combat with the most advanced technology available.

Saft will work with TARDEC to leverage the Army’s Manufacturing Technology Program (ManTech), which focuses on the development of low-risk, affordable technologies for military systems. Through this collaborative effort, Saft and TARDEC will develop ways to reduce size and improve performance of Li-ion technology for hybrid electric vehicles.

"We are looking forward to extending our partnership with the US Army TARDEC," said Thomas Alcide, Saft specialty battery group general manager. "We are pleased that TARDEC distinguishes Saft as an industry leader in technology and continually relies on us for the development of superior products."

Saft’s high-power Li-ion batteries are currently being used to power several of the military’s hybrid electric armored demonstrator vehicles, including BAE Systems (United Defense’s) Non Line of Sight Canon (NLOS-C), Carnegie Mellon national robotics engineering center’s crusher robotic vehicle, General Dynamic Land Systems’ Reconnaissance Surveillance Targeting Vehicle (RSTV), and TACOM’s High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV).