UQM Draws $3M Grant for Electric Motor Development

by Staff

August 15, 2011

3 min to read

LONGMONT, CO - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $3 million to UQM Technologies Inc. for the development of non-rare-earth magnet electric motors for use in electric and hybrid electric vehicles.

UQM will cost-share 25 percent of the $4 million effort under the development program.

“We are pleased that the DOE has again selected our company to assist in advancing the state of the art in motor and generator technology for electric and hybrid electric vehicles,” said Eric Ridenour, UQM Technologies’ president and CEO.

The award calls for the UQM engineering team to work with Ames Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop and apply these new magnet materials in a high-performance permanent magnet motor.

“The goal of this new technology that we are developing will be motor designs that apply to a full range of vehicle electrification, from mild hybrid to heavy hybrid to full electric vehicles,” Said Jon Lutz, UQM Technologies’ vice president of engineering.

UQM PowerPhase electric propulsion systems have been selected to power the Saab 9- 3 ePower, Audi A-1 etron and Rolls-Royce 102EX Electric Phantom pre-production test fleet vehicles. UQM is also powering Proterra’s electric composite transit buses, as well as Electric Vehicles International’s all-electric medium-duty truck and walk-in van. The company has a new facility with 40,000 units of annual production capacity for its PowerPhase electric propulsion systems.

UQM Technologies makes power-dense, high-efficiency electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers.

LONGMONT, CO - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $3 million to UQM Technologies Inc. for the development of non-rare-earth magnet electric motors for use in electric and hybrid electric vehicles. UQM will cost-share 25 percent of the $4 million effort under the development program. “We are pleased that the DOE has again selected our company to assist in advancing the state of the art in motor and generator technology for electric and hybrid electric vehicles,” said Eric Ridenour, UQM Technologies’ president and CEO. The award calls for the UQM engineering team to work with Ames Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop and apply these new magnet materials in a high-performance permanent magnet motor. “The goal of this new technology that we are developing will be motor designs that apply to a full range of vehicle electrification, from mild hybrid to heavy hybrid to full electric vehicles,” Said Jon Lutz, UQM Technologies’ vice president of engineering. UQM PowerPhase electric propulsion systems have been selected to power the Saab 9- 3 ePower, Audi A-1 etron and Rolls-Royce 102EX Electric Phantom pre-production test fleet vehicles. UQM is also powering Proterra’s electric composite transit buses, as well as Electric Vehicles International’s all-electric medium-duty truck and walk-in van. The company has a new facility with 40,000 units of annual production capacity for its PowerPhase electric propulsion systems. UQM Technologies makes power-dense, high-efficiency electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers.

Topics:Grant Funding Battery-Electric Vehicles UQM Technologies U.S. Department of Energy Gasoline-Electric Hybrids Green Fleet

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