Oshkosh Defense receives 5 new patents on hybrid electric JLTV

Oshkosh Defense on August 23 announced it was granted five new patents for the Oshkosh Defense hybrid electric Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or eJLTV, strengthening the company’s intellectual property position in hybrid-electric technology.

The Oshkosh eJLTV was unveiled in January 2022 as the first-ever silent drive hybrid electric Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. These recent patents relate to the accessory drive approach, battery and inverter integration, and the range and capability of the Oshkosh vehicle.

“Hybrid electric vehicle technology provides silent drive, extended silent watch, enhanced fuel economy, and increased exportable power that enables it to be used in combat and reconnaissance scenarios,” said George Mansfield, Vice President and General Manager of Joint Programs for Oshkosh Defense. “The addition of these recent patents underscores our unique ability to deliver innovative solutions that meet the needs of our customer and advance technology for the tactical wheeled vehicle fleet.”

Oshkosh has a robust portfolio of 115+ patents and pending applications for the JLTV, the eJLTV, and related technologies.

The eJLTV offers the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps the same level of performance and protection as the base JLTV with the addition of silent drive, extended silent watch, enhanced fuel economy, and increased exportable power that enables it to be used in combat and reconnaissance scenarios. It charges the battery while in use, fully recharging the lithium-ion battery within 30 minutes. This eliminates the need for a charging infrastructure, which remains one of the most significant challenges to the widespread electrification of the tactical wheeled vehicle fleet.

“For many years, we’ve been developing, testing and evolving hybrid-electric variants of our heavy and medium-duty tactical wheeled vehicles,” said John Bryant, Executive Vice President for Oshkosh Corporation and President of Oshkosh Defense. “Now, with the eJLTV, we’re offering our military customers an affordable way to electrify their light tactical wheeled vehicle fleet without compromising the off-road performance or superior protection necessary in combat operations.”

This year, the U.S. Army plans to recompete the JLTV program and issue a follow-on production contract in September 2022. The follow-on contract, valued at $6.5 Billion, includes an additional 15,468 vehicles and five order years followed by five options years, extending production through FY32.

“While the U.S. Army has not requested a hybrid-electric JLTV as part of the JLTV recompete, the eJLTV proves that Oshkosh Defense has the team and technical capabilities to produce this highly capable vehicle today,” Bryant concluded.

The goal of Oshkosh Defense with the eJLTV is to maintain the performance and protection of the proven Oshkosh Defense JLTV, improve fuel economy by more than 20%, provide a battery capacity of 30kWh with opportunity for growth and eliminate the need for a towed generator by providing export power capacity of up to 115kW.