Universal Electric Vehicle Corporation (U.E.V.) is a manufacturer of electric car

Electric car

An electric car is an automobile which is propelled by electric motor, using electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device. Electric cars were popular in the late-19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engine technology and mass...

s and alternative fuel

Alternative fuel

Alternative fuels, known as non-conventional or advanced fuels, are any materials or substances that can be used as fuels, other than conventional fuels...

 vehicles founded in 1998 by Greg Lane and headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California

Thousand Oaks, California

Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Product

U.E.V. currently manufactures a series under proprietary

Proprietary software

Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...

 technology

Technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

 called the Electrum which consists of two vehicles.

• The Spyder is a two-seat convertible
  Convertible
  A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
  
   sports car
  Sports car
  A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
  
   with a top speed
  Top Speed
  Top Speed is a 1930 American musical comedy film released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers.-Production:The film was completed as a full musical...
  
   of 80 mph (35.8 m/s) and promoted range of 150 miles (241.4 km) through nickel-zinc batteries
  Nickel-zinc battery
  The nickel–zinc battery is a type of rechargeable battery that may be used in cordless power tools, cordless telephones, digital cameras, battery operated lawn and garden tools, professional photography, flashlights, electric bikes, and light electric vehicle sectors.Larger nickel–zinc battery...
  
  , 300 miles (482.8 km) with lithium-ion batteries
• COM V-3 is a three-wheel two-passenger vehicle with a top speed of 80 mph (35.8 m/s) and a range of 70 mile using lead acid batteries with nickel metal hydride battery
  Nickel metal hydride battery
  A nickel–metal hydride cell, abbreviated NiMH, is a type of rechargeable battery similar to the nickel–cadmium cell. The NiMH battery uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the negative electrode instead of cadmium. As in NiCd cells, the positive electrode is nickel oxyhydroxide...
  
   or lithium ion batteries as an option.

Both vehicles use a polyester

Polyester

Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...

 fiberglass

Fiberglass

Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...

 composite body panels and steel chassis

Chassis

A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...

History

In 1998, founder Greg Lane and an undisclosed number of other interested people established U.E.V. The company states they produce an "aesthetic design and the ease of use for the physically challenged." U.E.V. currently has two mechanical patent

Patent

A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....

s and three design patent

Design patent

In the United States, a design patent is a patent granted on the ornamental design of a functional item. Design patents are a type of industrial design right. Ornamental designs of jewelry, furniture, beverage containers and computer icons are examples of objects that are covered by design...

s are in preparation for submital. In February of 2008, the name "Universal Electric Vehicle" was dropped in favor of "Electrum". This will be reflected in an update on their website that should occur by the summer of 2008.