The focus of Majors Tyrone Barrion and Dianna Zempel's research is to find ways in which the DoD can retrofit tactical vehicles with energy recovery systems

Marine Corps NPS Students Seek to Capture the Energy of Braking

By Major Tyrone Barrion and Major Dianna Zempel

Besides the foot patrols our infantry and special forces conduct, you would be hard pressed to find an operation or training exercise in which tactical vehicles are not employed. Subsequently, it is an obvious under-statement to say that fuel is central to Marine Corps mission accomplishment, both in garrison and deployed. Imagine then, if our logistic vehicles’ range were doubled. How much more lethal could the Marine Corps be if vehicles did not have to be idled to maintain communications capabilities? Can this lethality be quantified and if so, how much should be invested to realize this tactical advantage?

This is our goal. By researching the application of current technology employed in the commercial and private sectors, we hope to find ways in which the DoD can retrofit tactical vehicles with energy recovery systems. While most energy recovery systems today utilize the recovered energy for the propulsion of the vehicle (think Prius), our goal is to divert this energy to power the on-board auxiliary systems, such as communications equipment. Such a concept is not new; however, it has yet to be integrated into tactical vehicles.

In response to questions by the Armed Services Committee, Secretary of Defense Mattis called for efforts to reduce our reliance on fuel and reduce the limitations imposed on our forces. Through our research, we will provide decision-makers feasible and economical solutions to achieve this reality. One of the benefits of this approach is increased range of tactical vehicles through improved fuel economy. With fuel costs nearing $600 per gallon during combat operations in Afghanistan, there is a clear and present need for adaptations to achieve cost savings. In addition to savings, there are also operational impacts, such as: smaller convoys, less fuel runs, smaller heat signature, and the ability for more covert ops. We are hopeful that through our research, the Marine Corps will see the benefit of energy capture through regenerative braking and engender conversations around the implementation of current and emerging technologies.

About the authors
Both Majors Tyrone Barrion and Dianna Zempel are engineer officers in the U.S. Marine Corps. They are currently enrolled in the Defense Systems Analysis curriculum at the Naval Postgraduate School. Both have served in deployed environments numerous times and have experienced firsthand the “tether of fuel.”

Contact the EAG team for more information about this research.