- Semi-Custom Motor Drive system design to customer specification (This involves modifying one of UQM’s current products to meet specific application needs)
- UQM has a wide portfolio of products and previous designs that can be pulled from the shelf and modified to meet your needs
- Leads to minimal investment, quick time to market and often reduced validation
- Full or Semi- Custom Component development
- UQM also creates, designs and customizes motors or inverters separately, to adapt to existing components as needed
- UQM engineering teams have extensive design experience in Motors, inverter/controllers as well as motor control software, see Technology section.
- Technology comparison and trade study services
- Early in development there needs to be due diligence to ensure the best topology is selected for the application
- UQM can design, optimize and compare many different motor topologies from induction, switched reluctance, synchronous reluctance, rare-earth PM, non-rare earth PM, IPM, SPM, radial flux, axial flux or hybrid designs and more.
- We are can also compare and contrast various inverter technologies, control strategies and more.
In one of our most successful prototype development programs, UQM worked with Audi on the E-tron vehicle concept and has a fleet of over a hundred vehicles currently on the road in Europe. UQM PowerPhase® systems provided the electric drive system in the Audi A1 e-tron extended-range electric vehicles, a program that began in 2012 and underwent testing in the NPE (National Platform of Electrification) in Germany.
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is promoting this program to demonstrate and further develop the viability of electric vehicles. The higher efficiency UQM systems provide the potential for longer all-electric mode and an overall improved fuel economy in extended-range vehicles.
Seen during the London 2012 Summer Olympics, the Audi A1 e-tron was dressed in German colors and propelled by the efficient power of an UQM electric drive system.
Audi, a partner of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the National Paralympic Committee Germany (DBS), presented the Olympic squad with an Audi A1 e-tron in German colors and was used as an exhibition car.
Extended-range vehicles rely on the electric powertrain for propulsion and use an internal combustion engine (ICE) to charge the battery pack. For example, the Audi A1 e-tron extended-range all-electric test-fleet vehicles use UQM PowerPhase systems to drive the wheels at all times. The ICE in the car is used to generate electricity to extend the range as needed. The maximum all-electric range of the A1 e-tron is 30 miles (50 km), while the maximum combined range in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) is 155 miles (250 km).
In addition to efficiently supplying power to drive extended-range and electric-only vehicles, energy is captured by the PowerPhase system through regenerative braking, returning electricity to the battery pack during deceleration and braking.
UQM offers a number of PowerPhase systems for full-electric and extended-range applications. The PowerPhase Pro® 100 and 135 are developed for the automotive industry, along with the commercial PowerPhase HD® systems for commercial vehicle applications.