Some have called the Ripsaw EV2 the ultimate Bug Out vehicle. But is it really? Or is it all hype and marketing? Well, I'm here to find out. But let's start at the beginning. The Ripsaw's Military Origins
The Howe brothers introduced the Ripsaw at a Dallas vehicle show in 2001, where it caught the interest of the U.S. Army. Later that year the U.S. Military ordered a prototype MS-1 to be made and shipped to Iraq. In Iraq the Ripsaw was intended to perform various missions including convoy protection, perimeter defense, surveillance, rescue, crowd control, and explosives disposal. Ripsaw cameras provide 360-degree coverage for situational awareness for the operator. For perimeter defense and crowd control, a belt of M5 Modular Crowd Control Munitions (MCCM) can be mounted around the vehicle to break up crowds or non-lethally engage personnel with flash-bang effects and rubber bullets. Today there are numerous versions of the Ripsaw, both manned and unmanned. For example, the Ripsaw MS1 tactical UGV utilizes a powerful 650-horsepower Duramax 6.6L V8 diesel engine that delivers 900 ft-lbs (~ 1,220 Nm) of torque. The Ripsaw MS1 was a test platform made to test off-road capabilities. It was exclusively unmanned, cost $200,000 and could accelerate from 0-65 mph in 3 seconds, while the Ripsaw MS2 UGV is made to be much larger, faster, and more modular than the MS1. It weighs 4.5 tons and can carry an impressive one-ton payload. Fully loaded, the MS2 can accelerate from 0-50 mph in 5.5 seconds and has a top speed of 60 mph. The vehicle can traverse 50 degree gradients and 45 degree slopes. It can be optionally manned or tele-operated from a nearby command vehicle. Armament can include an M240 machine gun or M2 .50-caliber machine gun, and it has been tested with the Javelin missile.
The Ripsaw EV2 for the civilian market
Though the Ripsaw was originally designed for military and police applications, when the Howe brothers decided to design a variation for the civilian market, the Ripsaw EV2 was born. Introduced to the public in 2013, the EV2 is a luxury version of its military counterpart, with a fully enclosed body and two seats inside the cab. With its 600 diesel horsepower engine it can exceed speeds of over 60 mph and has a range of approximately 300 miles. However, I doubt if I will be getting my own EV2 anytime soon, as the base model still costs over $1,000,000.
As cool, fun and impressive as the EV2 most certainly is, in the real world it is nothing more than a toy for the rich. Even if it was featured on the covers of magazines like Popular Science and won awards for invention of the year, it is only curiosity object for the average Joe. Not only could 'regular people' never afford to buy one, it would be a waste of money if they did.
The EV2 is excellent at what it was designed for, but as a Bug Out vehicle it would only be of use if you were already living in the wilderness somewhere. Trying to Bug Out in a vehicle such as this would be highly impractical. For one, it doesn't have enough cargo space, not allowing you to to take along the survival gear you're going to need (or at least wished you had) such as... gas. Secondly, if you were trying to escape martial law or anything else involving the military (both foreign or domestic) you would be easy pickings for planes, helicopters, tanks and of course the military's own Ripsaws.
Unfortunately I was not able to test drive one of these babies, but I did review everything I could find on them, so this review is actually from best evidence rather than personal experience. However, even had I been able to test drive the the Ripsaw EV2, only if it could fly would I have come to a different conclusion.
If you disagree with my assessment of the Ripsaw EV2 please leave a comment explaining why. If you would like to find out more about the EV2, I have included some relevant sources below.
Tom Retterbush San Antonio, Texas, USA April 14, 2017
Although impressive, I could only give the Ripsaw 1 1/2 out of 5 stars because it is too costly and would not be an effective Bug Out vehicle.