Army to Develop Propulsion Motor For Hybrid, Combat Vehicle

Army to Develop Propulsion Motor For Hybrid, Combat Vehicle

UQM Technologies, Inc., a developer of alternative energy technologies, announced that it has received a contract from the U.S. Armys Tank – Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to develop an advanced vehicle propulsion motor for application as a wheel mounted electric propulsion system for hybrid electric combat vehicles being developed under the Armys Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. The one-year development effort will focus on the validation of a proprietary new design for a permanent magnet electric motor that has the potential to triple the torque capability compared to existing UQM propulsion motors. Army funding for the cost-share project is $242,548 or 77 percent of the total effort.

We believe that this development program has the potential to represent the next significant advancement in our permanent magnet motor technology. The development of our proprietary design concept, if successful, will result in a motor with three times the torque in the same volume or space as an existing UQM motor. The ability of electric motors to deliver higher levels of torque and power in a small package is critical to the success of wheel motors for large military vehicles that are candidates for hybrid electric propulsion, said William G. Rankin, UQM Technologies President and Chief Executive Officer. We expect through this development program and our other ongoing development activities, to continue to expand the performance capabilities of our proprietary permanent magnet propulsion systems technology.