Frederick firm helps all-electric SUV debut

FREDERICK – Imagine powering your vehicle for the equivalent of under $1 per gallon.
That’s the vision that UQM Technologies Inc. (AMEX: UQM) has as it works to enhance vehicle electrification.

In the past few months, the Frederick-based electric motor company has been involved with everything from the entire drive system of an electric vehicle to a large, follow-on order of auxiliary motors.

Chief Executive Officer Bill Rankin has high hopes for total vehicle electrification. Converting vehicles to run on electricity has benefits in cost and efficiency, according to Rankin. Some studies have shown that the electric cost equivalent to run plug-in hybrid vehicles would be around 75 cents per gallon.

At the end of September, a consortium of companies debuted an all-electric SUV at the California Air Resources Board Zero Emissions Vehicle Technology Symposium. The vehicle was built by Altair Nantechnologies Inc., Phoenix Motorcars and Boshart Engineering. UQM supplied the drive system for the project.

The basic technology for the SUV has been in development for six years, but the vehicle itself for only a few years, according to Alan Gotcher, CEO of Altair Nanotechnologies. Altair provided the nano-titanate battery packs to power the SUV. The system can be charged in about 10 minutes and will drive the vehicle about 250 miles.

“It offers a new class of performance that really hasn’t been seen before,” Gotcher said. He added that UQM’s drive-train element was a recent addition to the SUV.

Rankin said that UQM shipped its drive system, along with a manual, for installation in the SUV without the assistance of a dedicated employee.

“It’s an indication that our products are ready out of the box,” he said.

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