Underwater Vehicle Power Endurance: Technical Review of Subsea Battery Power and Tradeoffs

Endurance relates to the longevity of an underwater vehicle operating timeline per mission. When it comes to power, in the Report on Autonomous Vehicle Requirements(AUV) for 2025, “Endurance (how far and how fast can the AUV go, and how many sensors need to be supported) is one of the four core AUV capability characteristics for the future.” Subsea AUV and instruments or tool operators all strive to stay subsea for a longer duration, go deeper, and use better instruments, more powerful thrusters, and more capable manipulators to better and more efficiently execute their subsea mission and operations.