Greenhouse

The quest to develop the best solution to greenhouse gas emission and fuel consumption reduction has lead to partnerships between companies within the auto industry and among other industries as well. Car manufacturers even teamed up with the U.S. government to develop vehicles which not only consumes less or no fuel but also reduces or eliminates the emission of greenhouse gases.

Recently, another partnership has been forged with the aim of developing a vehicle that will be promoted as a solution to the increasing price of gasoline and the threat of global warming. UQM Technologies, one of the leading manufacturers of electric motors, and Phoenix Motorcars, a manufacturer of battery powered vehicles, have joined forces so as to

create a plug-in hybrid sport utility truck.

Hybrid technology is currently very popular in the United States. The hybrid revolution started when Toyota unleashed the Prius in the U.S. auto market some years back. A typical hybrid electric vehicle is equipped with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor providing extra power. These vehicles, given the internal combustion engine, are not as limited as pure electric cars. But what the partnership aims to develop is a plug-in electric hybrid sport utility truck. That means that the battery pack powering the vehicle will not only derive its charge from the engine or from the energy captured during braking but also from the power grid.

A plug-in hybrid

vehicle s battery pack can be recharged from an ordinary household socket. This means that while the vehicle is parked in one s garage, the owner can recharge the vehicle by simply plugging it in into an ordinary socket just like what you would do to give a mobile gadget some juice.

The plan for the plug-in electric hybrid vehicle is to provide it with a battery pack which can power it without the aid of the internal combustion engine for 20 to 60 miles. If the partnership achieves this feat and the cost of production be lowered so that it can be available to more people, millions of American motorists will not need to consume a drop of

gasoline for their everyday driving. A study reveals that the average American drives 25 miles per day or less.

The plug-in electric hybrid will be a five-passenger dual cab pickup truck. The Phoenix Sport Utility Truck will be 194 inches in length and will have a wheelbase measuring 108 inches. The vehicle will have respectable towing capacity for its nature with a half a ton payload capacity. A small internal combustion engine will be employed by the pickup truck powered by gasoline. The plug-in hybrid SUT will use NanoSafe lithium titanate batteries provided by Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. Other components like the brakes, transmission, and other related parts will be provided by other manufacturers.

Dan Elliot, the president

and the chief executive officer of Phoenix Motorcars, has this to say: The development of a plug-in hybrid model of our sport utility truck is an important expansion of our model offering that we expect will meet the needs of a broader range of customers. Plug-in hybrids offer the opportunity to operate the vehicle in the most common driving environments in all-electric mode, saving money and reducing emissions, while maintaining the flexibility to travel cross-country. We believe a potentially large market will develop for this category of vehicle and we intend to develop a high performing vehicle that our customers can be excited to own and drive.

Meanwhile, William G. Rankin, the president and the chief executive officer of

UQM Technologies, has this to say: We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Phoenix Motorcars on this exciting new development. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles present us with a tremendous opportunity to achieve broader market share for our propulsion systems and electronics. We are looking forward to participating in the development and launch of another exciting Phoenix model with our other strategic partners, Boshart Engineering and Altair Nanotechnologies,

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive.buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop. You can visit brakes for more information.