Even before GM Defense was selected to produce the US Army’s Infantry Squad Vehicle they were working on innovative solutions for the US military. Since then, they’ve done quite a bit of work on both electric and hybrid systems.
Their latest project is for the Defense Innovation Unit’s Stable Tactical Expeditionary Electric Power (STEEP) Program on behalf of the Marine Corps which seeks to offer a tactical microgrid and energy management capabilities in austere locations.
Leveraging GM’s Ultium Platform which is used in their electric vehicles, they are building a prototype to provide uninterruptable and sustainable power. GM’s STEEP solution offers intelligent tactical microgrid capabilities that work with hydrogen-powered generators, stationary and mobile battery electric power or existing fuel-powered generators to support efficient power management and distribution.
In a release from GM earlier today, GM Defense president Steve duMont stated, “This contract award demonstrates our ability to leverage advanced commercial technologies and investments from our parent company, GM, to reduce warfighter fuel consumption, and lower acoustic and thermal signatures, while providing efficient energy at the tactical edge. We are proud to win another contract award with DIU, whose mission to accelerate the adoption of commercial technology across the U.S. military aligns with our efforts to transition global defense and government customers to a more electric, autonomous and connected future.”
This is GM Defense’s second win with DIU having previously worked on prototyping a battery system based on GM’s Ultium Platform in support of the Jumpstart for Advanced Battery Standardization (JABS) solicitation.