BIW will lead the team that includes UMaine, General Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation, and Pacific Marine and Supply Company of Honolulu. A prototype of the composite pod will be tested at the university's new Advanced Structures and Composites Laboratory. Researchers will validate the design and evaluate the performance of the sensors. Electric drive propulsion eliminates the mechanical gearing normally found in the propulsion trains of conventional vessels and replaces it with an electric motor.
Electric motors allow engineers to design the ship with all-electric equipment.
Power can be redirected and reconfigured during a mishap. Reproduced with permission from the University of Maine Alumni Association Fall 2000 Maine magazine.