Over the next few decades superconducting motors and ionic thrusters with up to a few hundred megawatts of output might be feasible. The main advantage of this technology may be a reduction in size, noise and overall mass for a given context. The main drawbacks are added complexity and potential reliability issues. Clearly prototyping applications of motor/ion technology, might be for emergent electric powered naval/space vessels, where size and power are the main issue.

In a superconducting motor powered submarine the drive train might involve a reactor, turbine, generator, conditioning and motor similarly to a non-superconducting design with the addition of an enlarged conditioning unit.

It seems likely a spacecraft might have a roughly similar drive train involving a reactor, turbine, generator and conditioning, however the propulsion motor may be replaced with some form of electric powered particle accelerator.