VIA Motors, a privately held plug-in electric vehicle development and manufacturing company, has acquired Prodigy Engineering, an electric vehicle design, engineering and prototyping company. Prodigy has been under contract with VIA to prototype new vehicle models for the company’s expanding portfolio.

The acquisition included an exclusive license to advanced Lithium-ion battery cooling technology. The technology promises longer battery life and improved performance across the operating spectrum. The Prodigy engineering talent will be retained. Founders Mark and Mike Patey will continue to contribute under a four year retainer and non-compete agreement with VIA.

VIA integrates its proprietary V-DRIVE power train into new OEM vehicles, then sells directly to fleets under the VTRUX brand name. VIA VTRUX deliver up to 40-mile battery range and unlimited extended range, averaging over 100 mpg in typical daily driving, according to the company.