User:Chickens13/draft ALTe article

Summary

ALTe Powertrain Technologies is a company based in Auburn Hills, Michigan that designs and develops Range Extended Electric Powertrains (REEP) for light commercial vehicles. The company was founded in 2008 by three former Tesla Motors executives: CEO John Thomas, CTO Jeffrey DeFrank, and Nam Thai-Tang, vice president of programs. The company's Board of Directors includes former Chrysler executives Tom LaSorda and Steven Landry.

Product

ALTe’s Range Extended Electric Powertrain replaces a V-8 internal combustion engine powertrain, and has initially been designed to work with Ford F150 and E350 vehicles. The powertrain consists of a 22kWh lithium-ion battery pack, a four-cylinder engine, electric drive motors, a generator, a proprietary hybrid controller unit and HVAC modules. Initial tests have shown an 80-200% increase in fuel efficiency, with an initial 30 miles (48 km) of all-electric driving, followed by an estimated 275 mi (443 km) in a charge-sustained mode, before needing to be recharged or refueled.

Partnerships

ALTe has announced a collaborative effort with Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) to test their technology on PG&E’s fleet of trucks. ALTe will retrofit one of PG&E’s 2007 Ford F-150 trucks with its series plug-in hybrid powertrain, which PG&E will evaluate, and then provide data and feedback to ALTe.

ALTe has signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture with Plymouth, Michigan based Inmatech Inc., a spinoff from the University of Michigan, to produce and sell hybrid electric storage devices used in lithium-ion batteries, super capacitors and control electronics.

The joint venture's applications will range from automotive batteries to stationary grid power leveling devices — which can help if power plant or transmission line equipment fails.

Advisory Board

The company has formed a Customer Advisory Board that includes about 15 of the largest fleets in North America, including Frito Lay, PG&E, Cox Communication, DirecTV, Service Master, Waste Management, Duke Energy, and Club Assist among other companies.

Awards

In the Fall of 2011, Forbes Magazine named ALTe one of America’s Most Promising Companies. ALTe is one of only three companies listed in the Capitol Goods industry category, the only hybrid technology company, and the only company from Michigan to appear on the list.