The French defence procurement agency DGA awarded Renault Trucks Defense (RTD) a design study contract (PEA) to develop a hybrid propulsion demonstrator in 2012.
On completion of this study, in the last quarter of 2014, Renault Trucks Defense will present a VAB armoured personnel carrier equipped with this thermal and electric propulsion system - an electric machine linked to a combustion engine.

The applications for hybrid propulsion are very promising and involve several vehicle operating modes. In the field of mobility, hybrid propulsion can serve as a booster, providing around 100 hp of extra power.
 
Hybrid propulsion also offers an energy reserve that will be very useful for command or observation vehicles which are often required to conduct long-endurance missions and to supply power to various on- and off-board systems (observation equipment, information and command system, etc.). Hybrid propulsion ensures that these functions can be performed without the need to maintain the combustion engine in operation.
 
With one hundred years of experience, Renault Trucks Defense is derived from Berliet and Renault. Renault Trucks Defense is specialized in the armoured vehicle. Renault Trucks Defense is a division of Renault Trucks, a brand within the Volvo Group. Renault Trucks Defense is the major supplier to the French army with an internationally recognized know-how (more than 30 000 military vehicles in operation world-wide).