Gale Banks is a nationwide treasure and an absolute powerhouse within the diesel tuning world. His Southern California store, Banks Energy, is the stuff of legend, so it’s not stunning that the U.S. Military turned to the tuning wizard to develop a hybrid system for its ageing workhorse, the Humvee. Banks’ work was profitable, and we’re now studying among the particulars behind the intriguing construct.
The Humvee, or AM Common HMMWV, has been round for many years, and its diesel powertrain isn’t as much as the duty of contemporary warfare prefer it as soon as was. It’s additionally not essentially the most environment friendly configuration on the earth, making it ripe for electrification.
The store employed an 800-volt battery and an electrical motor helping a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6. Banks stated the ensuing automobile is faster and sooner than the unique and provides an extended driving vary. The electrical drivetrain elements present different advantages within the type of silent driving vary and the power to energy “an entire mobile tactical operations center.”
Banks himself filmed the reveal video, throughout which he stated, “We’ve not only made the Humvee relevant again, we’ve future-proofed it.” His presence on digicam normally means we’re about to get an in-depth explainer on a sophisticated inside combustion-related subject, however the teaser video is notably brief on element. Inside pictures present a drive choice swap to toggle between hybrid, diesel, and electrical modes, and there are some upgraded Banks gauges added to the Hummer’s sprint.
Banks Energy’s Humvee is spectacular, but it surely’s simply one in all many tasks the store has turned out over time. Just lately, Banks went to SEMA with a 1966 Chevy C10 pickup named Lokjaw. The slammed, rusty truck runs a Banks diesel engine making 600 horsepower. We don’t but have specs for the Humvee, however we’d guess they’re each bit as thrilling because the store’s hotrods.