News

UQM Gets Contract to Retrofit Hybrid-Electric Mall Shuttle

September 22, 2004 by Jeff Shepard

UQM Technologies Inc. (Frederick, CO), a developer of alternative energy technologies, announced that it has received a contract from the Denver Regional Transportation District (Denver RTD) for one 35 kW UQM® generator and two power electronic motor controllers to control the operation of the electric propulsion motors currently installed in a 45 ft hybrid-electric mall shuttle bus.

The Denver RTD introduced its hybrid-electric fleet of MallRide shuttles in 2000, the first large-scale deployment of hybrid-electric buses for transit use in the US. A total of 36 MallRide shuttles operate on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, providing a free ride for passengers across the 1.3 mile mall connecting Denver Union Station and RTD Civic Center Station for express and regional RTD services.

The hybrid-electric MallRide shuttle buses are powered by a compressed natural-gas-fueled, 2.5 L Ford industrial engine that operates at 2,200 rpm to generate electricity to recharge the bank of batteries that power the shuttle. The electric propulsion system features regenerative braking, a process in which kinetic energy is converted to electrical energy through the braking process, and the electrical energy is also used to recharge the battery pack. Each MallRide shuttle bus features a low floor design (14 in above street level) that makes it easier for passengers to step on and off the bus and can transport up to 116 passengers.