Kollmorgen Corp. has retained American Business Development Group (ABDG) to help bring the company’s Power Generation System to the Defense market. Kollmorgen’s low voltage power generation platform consists of flexible power electronics that support multiple vehicle motor/generator configurations and mild hybrid capability, and is uniquely capable of generating on board vehicle power (OBVP) at the voltage levels and power levels demanded by today’s military vehicles.
“Combining Kollmorgen’s power generation and motion control design and development experience with ABDG’s process knowledge of the track and wheeled vehicle fleet within the DOD [Department of Defense] will help improve military personnel safety by enabling and helping to facilitate the design and deployment of lighter and significantly more fuel efficient defense vehicles. This opportunity will be led from ABDG’s Detroit office where we have more than 150 years of combined experience in the Tank and Automotive Command [TACOM] and OEM community,” says Bill Skipper, ABDG President and CEO.
The combination of Kollmorgen’s system efficiency (industry-leading at +90%) and reduced package space, results in dramatic fuel and weight savings for the vehicle. The Kollmorgen low voltage platform can be configured as an integrated starter generator (ISG), air cooled belt driven motor/generator, or PTO driven system providing ranges of power from 10kW up to 50kW all at 28V DC. The system is rooted in mature technology backed by more than 70 years of motion control and power generation expertise, and has the flexibility to support demanding defense vehicle power needs within a small space, at low or high voltage, AC, DC or both.
Kollmorgen’s in-line variant of the low voltage Power Generation System has been integrated into the Fuel-Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED), a US Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) project. The Kollmorgen system enables the FED Alpha vehicle to provide 30 kW of power at 28 VDC, over a wide engine operating range. When compared to other high voltage power generation systems available for the FED, the Kollmorgen low voltage ISG solution reduced vehicle weight by 150 lbs.
“With the Power Generation System, Kollmorgen can provide the power that OEMs need at the voltage they want. And unlike vendors who supply just high or low voltage systems, we are uniquely positioned to serve as a one-stop shop for heavy-duty vehicle OEMs who have a wide variety of power needs within a single vehicle, and/or across vehicle platforms,” says Brandon Edlefsen, Director of Kollmorgen’s Vehicle Electric Power Business Unit. “As application demands evolve, defense vehicle OEMs adjust their designs and need to find the optimum voltage to deliver the desired power, so working with a single supplier who can deliver low or high voltage solutions, or anything in between, is a huge advantage.”
