(ARLINGTON, Va.) — Leading shipboard power experts Kohler and Leonardo DRS are teaming to produce advanced, highly-efficient hybrid-electric onboard power solutions for commercial maritime vessels. The combined effort will be called Total Onboard Power Solutions (TOPS.)
Under TOPS, the two companies will bring their complementary maritime power portfolios and vast experience to identify and develop a wide variety of maritime hybrid-electric engine technologies with smaller and more power-dense configurations. The technologies will be designed for a range of applications for commercial ships and luxury yachts.
“TOPS will offer a wide selection of power generation, power conditioning and power management and controls to handle a wide array of onboard power needs,” said Jos Raats, Kohler’s managing director of Global Marine Power Systems.
“As commercial ship developers rapidly incorporate hybrid electric drive systems into their propulsion systems, there is a need for globally-experienced technology developers and integrators, like Kohler and Leonardo DRS, to answer the needs of reducing emissions and engine operating costs,” said Clive Wilgress-Pipe, director of Business Development and Strategic Programs for Leonardo DRS.
The TOPS team will work with ship developers to identify individual power needs for each project and design and build a product to the specified requirements. Propulsion designs can include AC and DC variable speed systems; propulsion power demands and emergency generators; and diesel-electric hybrid and zero-emission propulsion modes.
For more information, visit www.kohlerpower.com and www.leonardodrs.com.
