AMSC Wins Navy Contract to Build HTS Motor.(American Superconductor Corp.; high-temperature superconductor propulsion motor for electric vehicles; contract includes others)(Brief Article)

American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) recently announced it has been awarded a $70-million contract from the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research to design and build a prototype 36.5-megawatt, high-temperature superconductor (HTS) propulsion motor for electric warships. The company said it has joined with military ship builder and equipment supplier Northrop Grumman Corporation on the 37-month project, which will "optimize the design, integration and testing" of the HTS motor.
"The U.S. Navy is going electric," said chief of naval research rear admiral Jay Cohen. "Superconductor technology will help reduce the size and weight of motors, generators, power transmission and supporting electrical components needed to help speed the transition to electric this decade. This contract is an important step along the road to attaining these capabilities."
In addition to Northrup Grumman, the company said the project team will include Ideal Electric Motors, Syntek Technologies, Mississippi State University, Florida State University's Center for Advanced Power Systems and MSCL.
"We faced stiff competition for this contract and we are delighted to have won," said AMSC chief executive officer Greg Yurek. "It's the foundation for creating a new industrial base in the U.S. for advanced electrical machines based on our HTS technology."