All in the name of getting swiftly to secluded areas
No, General Motors is not planning a Mars space mission, but rather looking at ways to boost logistics in various scenarios – post-disaster sites or warzones. And this is SURUS.
SURUS means Silent Utility Rover Universal Structure and it’s silent because it packs GM’s Hydrotec fuel cell system. SURUS also has self-driving abilities and can be used to emulate various transportation means, like utility trucks, cargo delivery systems, commercial freight and other unnamed “future military-specific configurations.”
Even more, SURUS can, for example, take the shape of an ambulance-like vehicle packed with medical supplies or hold a truck chassis and a flatbed for carrying various objects – containers or other heavy machinery like bulldozers, for example.
GM promises the platform is environment-friendly but at the same time offers off-road mobility, quick refueling times and high torque levels.
SURUS relies on two electric drive units and four-wheel steering. The two EDUs are powered by a Li-ion battery pack and range is said to be of 400+ miles (roughly 650 km).
Fun fact: did you know GM’s affair with fuel cell technology dates back 50 years?