Navy Spends $33 Million For Hybrid of the High Sea

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 15, 2009 @11:57PM from the batteries-not-included dept.

coondoggie writes "Some might call it an enormous floating Prius, but others will call it a step in the right direction: A new hybrid electric engine for US Navy ships that promises to save up to 12,000 barrels of oil a year per ship. The folks who brought you the Predator unmanned flying aircraft, General Atomics, this week got $32.7 million to develop a proof-of-concept Hybrid Electric Drive (HED) system for a full-scale demonstration on board the Navy's DDG 51 Class destroyers. DDG 51 destroyers are powered by General Electric gas turbines capable of moving the ships along at over 30 knots or about 35 mph. The General Atomics system would meld into this system and let the ship use electric power for slow-speed maneuvers. The engines would provide more power as the ship needed to go faster."

4 of 210 comments (clear)

Regenerative Braking by tangent3 · 2009-07-16 01:00 · Score: 3, Funny

How does regenerative braking work in the high seas?
Re:Not exactly a new idea by Aram+Fingal · 2009-07-16 01:29 · Score: 4, Funny

Actually, there is a mature technology for powering ships with wind. It's called a sail.
Re:Nice thing. by MidoriKid · 2009-07-16 01:46 · Score: 4, Funny

My destroyer is like VRRRRRNNN.. VRRRNNNN... VRRRRRRNNNNNN! What does your destroyer sound like?
shhhhhhhhhh
That's cool.
Re:What would happen... by Anonymous+Psychopath · 2009-07-16 03:04 · Score: 3, Funny

Well, if it *is* to be the Prius of the high seas, let's hope they at least make it a decent looking ship. Not something fugly like the Prius on land is...
:)
Also, it will need Obama '08 and "Coexist" bumper stickers.

--
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.