Vehicle Based Exportable Power

Dynamic supply of clean, reliable electrical power in remote locations and during emergency situations is increasingly called for by today’s military. Current diesel engine/generator sets (gensets) are not self-mobile, requiring an additional vehicle to tow or transport them to where power is needed. Current tactical vehicles, such as HMMWVs, have been successfully retrofitted with high power alternators, but lack the electronics needed to export this power and the intelligence needed to safely and reliably coordinate multiple vehicles in order to achieve power outputs greater than ~35kW, such as the ~100kW required by a field hospital. Therefore a system which converts ubiquitous, mobile tactical vehicles into a distributed power supply system is called for. MillenWorks proposes to develop a Grid Interactive Vehicle Exportable Power (GIVE-Power) system which is intelligent, scalable, safe, and fault tolerant. By seamlessly converting fleets of vehicles into go-anywhere grid power supplies, MillenWorks will help the Army to provide the dynamic power systems required on today’s battlefield. MillenWorks intends to develop both a system architecture for communication, coordination and cooperation between multiple vehicles as well as the electrical hardware necessary to monitor and understand the output from various vehicle alternators and the conditions on an existing energized or unenergized power grid. A key feature of the proposed system is its applicability and expandability to new hybrid-electric and fully-electric vehicles, which are increasingly being adopted both in the military and by the general public. MillenWorks has a plan to capitalize on both military and commercial markets for intelligent vehicle-based power distribution by developing a robust, distributed, coordinated power management system.