Abstract

UQM Technologies, a developer and manufacturer of electric propulsion systems, has recently introduced a 150 kW (200 hp) system for use in high performance applications, achieving 1 hp/lb power density. This system is an upgrade of a 100 kW system that has been available for the last ten years. The upgrade was driven by both customer requests for higher power systems and the development of new technologies. The additional 50% output is being made available without any additional size or weight to the system. The key enabling technologies are the armature winding and commutation method, the combination of which has created the majority of the torque and power improvement. Other features have been introduced with this system, including control mode versatility (torque/speed/voltage control on-the-fly), improved safety features and failure modes, and a new graphical user interface (GUI). Extensive performance testing was completed during the spring and summer of 2007, with the results published for all electrified vehicle manufacturers to evaluate against their needs. UQM’s next steps are to complete the acquisition and installation of production equipment and tooling to bring down the price of this system (and other UQM systems) as volumes increase.