Vehicle propulsion system with multi-channel DC bus and method of manufacturing same

An apparatus includes a multi-channel DC bus assembly comprising a first channel 14 and a second channel 20, a first electromechanical device 74 coupled to a positive DC link 18 of the first channel 14, and a second electromechanical device 82 coupled to a positive DC link 24 of the second channel 20. A first DC-to-AC voltage inverter 48 is coupled to the positive DC link 18 of the first channel 14 and a second DC-to-AC voltage inverter 50 is coupled to the positive DC link 18 of the second channel 20. The apparatus further includes a bi-directional voltage modification assembly coupled to the positive DC link 24 of the second channel 20 and a first energy storage system electrically coupled to the first electromechanical device.