If You’re Going to Become a Mechanic, You’ll Want to See the Arquus Scarabée Drive Sideways
Looking for a car you can drive literally in any direction? Then you’ll want to check out the Scarabée from Arquus, a subsidiary of renowned Swedish car company Volvo. The Scarabée is a hybrid military vehicle with all-wheel drive capabilities, the ability to move in just about any direction, and plenty of other attributes that make it more than a little unique.
Following its debut at the 2019 Paris Air Show in June, this light-armoured 4×4 vehicle is getting a lot of attention for its ability to drive sideways to avoid dangerous obstacles. Here’s why you’ll want to look out for this fascinating light-armoured vehicle if you’re thinking about becoming an auto mechanic.
Its Name May Translate to Beetle, But it’s More Like a Crab
The name Scarabée means beetle in French and Arquus Defense has a tradition of looking to the animal kingdom for inspiration (even its name is a portmanteau of “armis equus”, the Latin term for “war horse”). The company’s newest vehicle continues that tradition in more ways than one. Thanks to the vehicle’s all-wheel steering system, the driver can move it sideways, or any other direction, as the wheels turn independently from each other.
As a result, the vehicle has high maneuvering capabilities, allowing it to quickly evade—or more accurately, sidestep—obstacles while maintaining its forward momentum. The vehicle can move its four wheels in opposite directions, which allows it to achieve an extremely tight turn radius, or in the same direction in order to move sideways. In those respects, the Scarabée is more like a crab than a beetle.
It’s Got Specs That’ll Impress Anyone Wanting to Become an Auto Mechanic
Arquus already has an array of military vehicles under its name, but this one’s specs make it a unique entity to say the least. The 6-foot high, 15-foot wide Scarabée is enough to make those who want to become an auto mechanic salivate: it comes equipped with a 4,000-pound payload capacity, adaptive suspension, and a 103-horsepower electric motor and 300-horsepower diesel engine (the latter with a range of nearly 1,000 km). Weighing 6.6 tons, the Scarabée has been compared to the Humvee, but is smaller and faster (able to drive at around 120 km/h, with an acceleration of nearly 60 horsepower per ton), easily transportable, has remote control capabilities, and can carry over two tons of equipment.
It’s a Military Vehicle, and Militaries Want to Use it As Such
Its specifications and hybrid capabilities are impressive enough on their own, but even more fascinating are its military-specific capabilities. The Scarabée can be air-dropped from a low-flying plane without needing a parachute, and it has radars, a 12.7mm machine gun turret, and a 30mm anti-tank weapon on its roof. Its body is also heavily made from composite materials, and provides protection from explosives, gunfire, and other such damage.
Unsurprisingly, real-world militaries are thinking of taking advantage. The French Army is reportedly considering using it as a replacement for their more than 700 light-armoured vehicles by 2025. Additionally, it has a robotized trailer that can move independently and be “called over” remotely to other vehicles and units and sliding doors so crew members can easily enter and leave the vehicle in confined spaces. If you’re considering an automotive technology program, then the Scarabée is bound to strike you as an impressive piece of vehicle engineering.
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