[OldDeckHand]

A tank of highly explosive hydrogen fuel in a tank. What could go wrong?

[driftdiver]

So a 60 ton tank is gonna sneak up on someone? Will it involve high speed rail?

[Old Teufel Hunden]

There was an article in last month’s Semper Fi magazine (The magazine of the Marine Corps League) about the Marine Corps going green. I have also read an article about it within the last year in the Marine Corps Gazette. However, I have to say that I agree with what they are trying to do. They are trying to use more renewables and be more independent because the more energy they use at a forward operating base, the more resupply convoys they need and the more chances to hit the convoys with IEDs and ambushes.

I think our Marine forward operating bases are becoming too dependent on technology and using too much energy. The Marine footprint has always been small and they should not be energy hogs needing constant resupply. They should be able to operate independently and they need to strive towards that.

[dockkiller]

Silent tanks.

Now we know why we don’t have this technology in cars.

And we also know that we will have it in cars once the technology is well known and everybody has it.

I’m OK using gas until our guys get done blowing up our enemies.

[Cheetahcat]

Another green wet dream bites the dust of reality.

[rellimpank]

In addition, the use of a fuel cell would make the tank's motor run in near silence. This is a particularly helpful feature since enemy combatants can hear the current model's 1,000+hp multi fuel turbine engine from miles away, and with a silent engine, the tank can sneak into certain territory relatively unheard.

--I'd sure like to see a simplified engineering diagram of this---

[KarlInOhio]

A lot of the energy in JP-8 is in the carbon bonds (sorry, I don't have a ratio of the energy from burning the whole molecule compared to extracting the hydrogen and burning it). That means that you have less total energy available. So either the fuel cell is a lot more efficient than the turbine, or the M1's already low gas mileage will drop even further.

[PzLdr]

The last thing any tank needs is to go green. You can ALWAYS get a fillup. You just swing the main gun in the direction of the gas station office...

[agere_contra]

We need a nuke plant small enough to put in a tank.

Call it the OGRE Mk I

[SZonian]

It’s not about being “green”, it’s about having alternatives to oil based fuels. Embargoes, no oil reserves, refineries down, etc. could cause a shortage for the military.

Coal refined into jet fuel is one example.

The military has been looking at these options for some time. Technology and science are finally catching up and the military is looking into it.