Dutch National Climate Week, electric military vehicles, hydrogen forklift truck and an army tent with solar panels.
Electric military vehicles, a forklift truck that runs on hydrogen and an army tent with solar panels. In the National Climate Week, the Ministry of Defence showed at the Open Day how it wants to innovate and green.
You barely hear it. So you often only see it when it’s close, or never at all. This is exactly the intention of the E-raider. This small off-road vehicle crawls out of its normally invisible form, during the Open Day of Defence.
Tearing without sound
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Some spectators watch in the drizzling rain, as Major Gerben Seevinck makes his rounds practically silently over the grounds of the barracks located on the Hessenweg. His colleague Major Xander Beks tears into an E-quad with almost as little noise behind it.
The vehicles are among the sustainable innovations that the Ministry of Defence is showing at its Open Day. The public will get to see which latest gadgets the armed forces are developing in collaboration with knowledge centres and companies, to be used in missions abroad, among other things.
Alain Schoonderbeek
In this way, we are working on the army of the future, which is more climate-conscious.
The Ministry of Defence consciously works together with these partners on innovation. “In this way we are working on the army of the future, which is more climate-conscious,” says Lieutenant Colonel Alain Schoonderbeek. “Visitors can see today how we are setting that up here in an experimental way.”
For example, the E-raider was purchased by the Ministry of Defence as a concept model. This off-road vehicle developed by the Israeli company Dsraider is powered by two electric motors.
Major Gerben Seevinck
We buy some of these vehicles on the market and test them out
The off-road vehicle is put to the test by various components during exercises. “By the medical service, we then see if a stretcher fits on the trailer,” Seevinck gives as an example. A trailer can be coupled to the vehicle to transport equipment.
Gerben Seevinck
When approaching something or someone, you want to be quiet for the last few kilometers.
The E-raider has also been tested as a reconnaissance vehicle. “When approaching something or someone, you want to be quiet for the last few kilometers,” says Seevinck, while the charging cable connects. The vehicle is almost 70 cm wide, weighs 95 kilos and has room for two soldiers with complete luggage.
Testing in heat and cold
The vehicles are also tested in heat and cold. “This way we know which requirements they have to meet and we can buy smarter vehicles on the market,” says Seevinck, who is covered in mud after his ride. “I already have one tip anyway”, he says with a laugh. “Fenders are handy.”
The idea behind vehicles such as the E-raider is the starting point for this method. It is therefore possible that the Ministry of Defence will eventually opt for a different vehicle. In that case, Albert-Jan Buddingh has a collector’s item.
Armed with a camera, he wanders through the Open Day. As a child, Buddingh was already interested in military cars. ,,I am of the generation of the Dinky Toys”, he says. “I had such a booklet of that and crossed the military vehicles, I wanted them all.”
Albert-Jan Buddingh
One is an airplane spotter, I spot military vehicles.
The fascination grew over the years. “On holidays here on the Ginkelse Heide I looked for bullets, later during my military service I was with the regiment of supply and removal troops,” he says. “One is an airplane spotter, I spot military vehicles.”
Just like daughter Arina (9), the Hoofddorper had hoped to hit more vehicles today. ,,We were on the road for more than an hour.” Buddingh travels more often to put military vehicles on the sensitive plate. “Sometimes I go to Germany with a friend to photograph American vehicles.”
500 registrations for Open Day
Behind him, visitors speed up their stride, to take shelter from the now increasingly persevering rain. 500 people had registered for the Open Day. In the morning, a few tufts of bikkels brave the bad weather.
In the warmer, slightly more populated tent, visitors are given an explanation of developments such as the Energy metering kit, which, as a smart meter, monitors energy consumption itself. And explanation about sustainable lighting with LED lamps, which spontaneously switch on when you walk past them.
Hydrogen-powered forklifts
Nick van Ginkel from Harderwijk came to the Open Day with his grandsons Bas (11) and Sen (10). “Nice to hear that there are forklift trucks that can run on hydrogen,” says Bas. “We also saw how to refuel.”
Van Ginkel worked at a company that supplied ventilators to the Ministry of Defence. “I was retired, but when it became a witch’s cauldron during Covid, I jumped in.” The trio finds the innovations interesting, although Sen especially likes defence. “Maybe next time it will be the army museum.” Thanks for keeping up to date at Hydrogen Central.
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Defence is greening and innovating: these are the latest electric vehicles and other novelties, October 31, 2021
