UQM Technologies Inc, a developer of alternative energy technologies, announced that its newly introduced 150-kilowatt permanent magnet propulsion motor has been selected as part of a collaborative advanced hybrid electric bus development program being performed by the Flint MI Mass Transportation Authority, Kettering University, Michigan State University, and Transportation Techniques LLC.
MTA currently operates five hybrid electric cutaway buses on routes in Flint and throughout Genesee County with fuel efficiency improvements of 15 percent to 25 percent over similar diesel-powered buses. The UQM systems were purchased as part of the partnership's advanced hybrid electric technology program, which is aiming to incorporate an advanced set of control systems and more efficient components into the hybrid electric bus to provide additional fuel efficiency improvements of 15 percent to 20 percent, or an overall improvement of up to 40 percent over standard diesel-powered vehicles.
The partnership's goal is to field the first production vehicles using advanced hybrid electric technology in fiscal 2009.
For more information on UQM, visit its worldwide web site at www.uqm.com.