Air Force studying idle-reduction technology

Photo By Carole Chiles Fuller | Security forces personnel from Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, examine a pickup truck outfitted with one of the idle-reduction systems being tested for the next 12 months on JBSA and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. (U.S. Air Force photo by Carole Chiles Fuller)  

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES

10.31.2016

Story by Carole Chiles Fuller 

Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center

Three idle-reduction systems are being installed on vehicles at JBSA installations and at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for the second phase of the project: a 12-month field trial and data collection period, followed by six months of analysis. JBSA was chosen primarily for its hot weather, and Offutt for its cold weather. Mission requirements and availability of vehicles also factored in to the choice of test installations.
Security forces personnel and their civilian counterparts often leave their vehicles running because when the engine is turned off, operating electronics, lights and other systems can drain the battery. Also, heating and cooling systems don’t operate when the engine is off.
“Police cruisers may idle for hours while officers patrol, work accident scenes, write reports or wait for their next call,” according to Status and Issues for Idling Reduction in the United States/Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicle Technology Market Trends, a February 2015 report by the U.S. Department of Energy on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Currently, idle-reduction systems are used by various police departments to include Austin, Texas; Dallas; Lakeland, Florida; Las Vegas; Nevada Highway Patrol; and Washington State Patrol.
Benefits of the systems include fuel savings; idling burns up to a gallon of fuel per hour. In terms of engine wear, an hour of idling a security forces sedan equates to about 33 miles of driving, increasing the amount of maintenance vehicles require. The study’s goals are to verify fuel savings; ensure technologies are functional and reliable; validate return-on-investment estimates; and study initial maintenance trends.
The AFRL estimates a 70-percent reduction in idling time would save $3,570 per sedan annually; a huge saving as the Air Force inventory contains more than 1,000 high-idle security forces vehicles.
Following the test and evaluation phase of the system, Air Force officials will determine if investing in the technology makes fiscal sense for the service, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Bell, division chief for the Air Force Security Forces Center Force Protection Requirements Division.
Bell said he’s cautiously optimistic and thinks the technology might provide a great benefit to the Air Force.
“Our goal at an enterprise level is to ensure the security forces members have everything they need to complete the mission the most effective way they can,” said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Moss, program branch manager for the 441st Vehicle Support Chain Operations Squadron. The 441st VSCOS on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, oversees the vehicle portion of the project.
“With the enterprise-level purchasing and procurement and moving and scheduling vehicles for transfer, it’s really imperative that we meet the mission requirements for the security forces members and make sure they have all the tools they need.”
Moss has high hopes for idling-reduction technology.
“We are hoping to reduce our impact on the environment, our miles per gallon and greenhouse gases. We figure a high-idling vehicle like this is going to produce more of those toxins and gases, so this would be a way to reduce our impact overall,” he said. “The future is greenhouse gas reduction and idle reduction, and reducing our effects on the environment as an overall force. We want to make sure we are also supporting the overall mission of the Air Force. That includes being out on the flightlines, idling and getting that idling time down.”
If one or more of the idling-reduction systems provides significant fuel savings and reduced maintenance and emissions, Moss said the fleet could be equipped with a system in the next five to 10 years.
“I think this is an amazing program. It’s an amazing opportunity for the U.S. Air Force, for security forces, for the enterprise-level vehicle management folks, in terms of the next generation, the next way forward in completing our mission in an effective and green manner,” Moss said.

• Date Taken: 10.31.2016
• Date Posted: 11.01.2016 11:57
• Story ID: 213374
• Location: SAN ANTONIO, TX, US