Rolls-Royce launches new modular Li-ion battery system for ships: SAVe Energy

Rolls-Royce is launching a lithium-ion based energy storage system for ships. Rolls-Royce has been delivering energy storage systems since 2010, however the actual energy storage units were previously supplied by an external party.

Illustration of a ship system setup with batteries. This example shows a hybrid system for a tugboat. Source: Rolls Royce.

Energy storage is a major green investment for a ship owner. Returns are maximized when the system is correctly dimensioned for the specific ship, and includes intelligent power control.

Rolls-Royce now offers SAVe Energy, a cost-competitive, highly efficient and liquid-cooled battery system with a modular design that enables the product to scale according to energy and power requirements.

SAVe Energy complies with international legislations for low- and zero-emission propulsion systems.

The development work has been partly funded by the Norwegian Research Council of Norway’s ENERGIX program. The three ship owning companies Color Line, Norled and the Norwegian Coastal Administration Shipping Company have been partners in the development, ensuring that the energy storage system covers a wide variety of marine applications, including ferries, cruise vessels and multi-purpose vessels.

SAVe Energy is be delivered from the Rolls-Royce Power Electric site in Bergen, Norway, as part of the company’s offering of complete ship systems.

The electrification of ships is building momentum. From 2010 we have delivered battery systems representing about 15 MWh in total. However now the potential deployment of our patent pending SAVe Energy in 2019 alone is 10-18 MWh.

—Andreas Seth, Rolls-Royce, EVP Electrical, Automation and Control – Commercial Marine

SAVe Energy can be applied to several areas including peak shaving, spinning reserve and battery-powered vessels. Combined with an LNG- or diesel-powered engine in a hybrid solution, it will increase efficiency and reduce emissions, and can be coupled with most types of propulsion units.

In a hybrid set up, SAVe Energy handles the peak load, while the main power generators will relate to the average load and not reduce the propulsion units thrusting capabilities.

Battery systems have become a key component of our power and propulsions systems, and SAVe Energy is being introduced on many of the projects we are currently working on. This includes the upgrade programme for Hurtigruten’s cruise ferries, the advanced fishing vessel recently ordered by Prestfjord and the ongoing retrofits of offshore support vessels. As a system provider we can find the best solution considering both installation and operational cost.

—Andreas Seth

SAVe Energy is an ESU system (Energy Storage Unit), and was recently class-approved by DNV GL, confirming that SAVe Energy has been developed in compliance with the newest 2018 ruleset, and are accepted for installation on all vessels classed by DNV GL.

Rolls-Royce Begins Work On Lighter Plug-in Hybrid Phantom

Big, bold, British luxury car maker Rolls-Royce is putting the next-generation Phantom on a strict diet and plug-in hybrid workout plan. Image is everything after all, and these days it’s in vogue to at least look like you give a damn about the planet’s environmental woes.

Set to launch in three years, the next Rolls-Royce Phantom will look different, and offer both traditional V12 power and a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. The optional plug-in hybrid will likely slot above the powerful V12, if Rolls has any wit about them. The performance potential of a budget-be-damned plug-in hybrid luxury sedan, and such a car could make even the most adrant oil baron a believer in hybrid technology.

If Rolls wants to achieve even a modicum of efficiency though, the Phantom will have to go on a serious diet, as the current car comes in at a massive 5,710 pounds. Put an average couple in there, and you’re looking at a three-ton car…and this is with a lightweight aluminum space frame! Parent company BMW is said to be considering a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) body shell to shed some of that excess weight. The Phantom is a prime candidate for CFRP, especially with BMW tripling output at its carbon fiber factory.

There’s also talk of a pure electric phantom, and with a drastic weight reduction, the next Phantom could dip below 5,000 pounds, not far from where the Tesla Model S sits. With a big-enough battery (made possible by a big price tag), an electric Rolls-Royce could make sense. Right now though, there are too many “ifs”, and with and plug-in hybrid model almost a certainty, I won’t hold my breath waiting for an electric Rolls.

Source: AutoCar

Rolls Royce Readies a Plug-in Hybrid

Rolls Royce may have shelved the all-electric 102EX super sedan project it was working on a few years ago, but the decision to go electric may not be up to Rolls. Governments across Europe and China are pushing forward laws to limit the number of internal combustion cars allowed their streets, and some major cities in the UK,Norway, and China considering outright bans on non-hybrid cars. If Rolls Royce wants to stay relevant in a post-combustion world, then, it’s got to build a hybrid.

The real question here isn’t whether Rolls Royce will build a hybrid, then- it’s when.

The answer, oddly enough, is that it’s already building a hybrid- in the form of parent company BMW’s ActiveHybrid 7 series. The same 7 series, it should be noted, that serves as the basis for the Rolls Royce Ghost and Rolls Royce Wraith models. The Ghost and Wraith look like this …

… when they’re not wearing their BMW suits.

Assuming BMW decides to simply put a Rolls Royce Ghost body on their existing ActiveHybrid chassis (which would make a ton of sense, really), the hybrid Ghost will deliver some 320 HP between 5800 and 6000 RPM, along with a respectable 330 lb-ft of torque from 1300 to 4500 RPM. So, peak torque would be available from idle all the way to the shift in real-world driving. Not too far off from the old 6.75 liter Rolls engine of the 1970s-1990s, then, and with zero emissions in a “slow traffic gnarl” EV mode.

You can check out Rolls’ last entry into the EV fray- the 102EX concept car- below, as well as a cutaway drawing of the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 series that will, probably, end up under a Rolls Royce Ghost hybrid 24 hours after Beijing requires it. Enjoy!

Rolls Royce 102EX Plug In

BMW ActiveHybrid 7

Source | Photos: BMW, Rolls Royce, via Green Car Reports.

Electric Rolls Royce 102EX All-Electric Vehicle Begins World Campaign

Here it is. An all-electric Rolls Royce 102EX with a mammoth 71 kWh battery back. For comparison, the Tesla Roadster sports a 52 kWh pack.