UQM Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Officer William G. Rankin has said that the company currently has two new fuel cell products under development for a major fuel cell development company. One of the new products is an air compressor drive motor that is partially integrated with the compressor and the power electronic inverter that controls operation of the system at rotational speeds up to 17,000 revolutions per minute and at voltages from 180 volts to 400 volts. The electronic inverter includes digital signal processor (DSP) technology and controller area network (CAN) communications protocol. The other product is a power electronic inverter to control the compression of hydrogen required by a fuel cell. The inverter contains DSP technology and CAN communications protocol, can control rotational speeds up to nearly 50,000 r.p.m., and operate at voltages from 100 volts to 400 volts. The inverter is fully integrated and packaged inside the compressor housing, is less than 5 inches in diameter by 1 5/8 inches tall, and uses sensorless control technology. Sensorless control eliminates the need for rotor position feedback devices such as encoders, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the product.
