TrendingNow – The trend-setters at BAE Systems bring the next generation power electronics to market. Mr. Ian Wilson, Business Development Director – Power & Propulsion Solutions, said: “We are planning to release our new electric propulsion system in 2020. This system will be more modular, less expensive and will provide higher efficiency.”
As a power and propulsion solutions business, BAE Systems works with the heavy-duty commercial vehicle segment with city buses as their primary market segment. Mr. Wilson added: “We produce hybrid, full electric battery and hydrogen fuel cell electric solutions for buses. We also offer on-board power management, power generation and distribution solutions for heavy-duty vehicles.” BAE Systems has its major markets in North America and Western Europe.
IndiaCentric – BAE Systems has held a proud association with India for several decades. The company has a track-record of sharing knowledge, skills and technology across India’s requirements in the land, sea and air domains in partnership with local industry.
Mr. Wilson revealed: “When it comes to vehicle manufacturers and propulsion business, we are talking to a number of potential partners in India. We believe that the Indian Government is clearly committed to having greener technology in its cities and we are also working out what the best solution is for India’s needs. We have a solution, originally designed for North American and Western European markets which will fit the Indian scenario very well. We are in dialogue with the local suppliers to move this effort forward.”
BAE Systems is looking at this as a medium-term program. He also said: “Our business model is to work with bus manufacturers, but at the same time we recognise that for the Indian market we may need a manufacturing partner or a technology partner, so today we are exploring the possibilities.”
TechnologyFirst – In today’s times when the market is abuzz with the talk on zero emissions, Mr. Wilson is clear that there are a number of ways to reach that goal: “Depending on what the clients want the vehicle to do and achieve, we can help them decide the best route to get there. We offer a range of solutions – we have series hybrid for transit buses, a parallel hybrid systems for trucks, and then we also have full battery electric and fuel cell electric systems.”
WhatWorks – Mr. Wilson shared: “Today we have over 10,000 electric propulsion solutions in service which is a combination of series hybrid and battery electric.” BAE Systems works with major bus manufacturers around the world. They also cater to some big suppliers in France, Italy, the UK and Poland. He claimed: “Half of the 10,000 system deliveries were made in the past three years, demonstrating a rising trend for BAE Systems’ propulsion systems.
ChallengesAhead – Even though BAE Systems has a variety of solutions for any vehicle segment, the officials feel the global market is majorly driven by the political and economic scenarios of each region. Mr. Wilson said: “Traditionally, we have been catering to the bus segment with our series hybrid solution but we also have a parallel hybrid solution that is positioned better for trucks. We continue to have discussions with the truck manufacturers in Europe and are finding they are seriously looking at our solutions and yet they have an eye trained on what the political scenario will bring by way of policies. This requires study of the market before we start pumping products in high volumes.”
Regarding electric vehicles, Mr. Wilson opined that although every discussion in the bus market today is centered around full battery electric, the currently available battery-electric technology is the right solution for only a few duty cycles, for specific duration and distance.
He added: “People are realizing the battery electric is still not the right answer for long haul bus routes. With the ever-increasing pressure on the bus operators to reduce emissions, the point is now centering around a solution that is workable and affordable because it is also about the infrastructure that is needed to charge the battery and how it can be done in an effective manner while looking at maximising the generation capacity.”
It is clear that one solution does not fit all automotive segments and that is where BAE Systems with its array of power management and propulsion system options is carving a niche for itself on the global front.