Ohio ? The Army said Tuesday that it will begin testing a nonmetal Humvee that is 900 pounds lighter than its conventional counterpart so it can add extra armor to better protect soldiers from roadside bombs.

Army officials have not yet committed to buying any of the vehicles, whose frames and bodies are made of a combination of Fiberglas, balsa wood, foam and carbon reinforcements held together with resin, said Steven Lockard, president and CEO of Warren, R.I.-based TPI Composites Inc., which built the prototype vehicle.

“Every pound of weight we save, that weight is being added back to the vehicle in armor and mine-blast protection,” Lockard said Tuesday.