[Glenfman]

I recall reading about an electric vehicle that used a small motor behind each wheel of a vehicle, and the timing was controlled by on CPU. I think GM had it.

 

[Jan]

Maybe you mean:

http://www.proteanelectric.com/

 

[Ziggythewiz]

That's a pretty sweet illustrative video...though the example car could have been better chosen...

 

[pyramidhead]

mitsubishi made one like that on the prior lancer-evolution chassis as well:

http://www.worldcarfans.com/10508248659/mitsubishi-lancer-evolution-miev

(apologies for resurrecting a thread from last month, i'm researching and thought this was worth sharing.)

 

[algea07]

mitsubishi made one like that on the prior lancer-evolution chassis as well:

http://www.worldcarfans.com/10508248659/mitsubishi-lancer-evolution-miev

(apologies for resurrecting a thread from last month, i'm researching and thought this was worth sharing.)

why do they keep making cool cars then refusing to sell them to me?

 

[oddysea]

Maybe you mean:

http://www.proteanelectric.com/

The reason is that they don't actually work.

Can anyone show me video of a hub motor vehicle that actually does what the manufacturer says it does?
THe protean company back in 2007 or 8 said they could make a 400+ horsepower mini with hub motors. But noone ever actually saw it in operation. And the company that made the motors (PML?) became... Protean - and I still see no video footage of their 'system' operating.

 

[fx4lightning]

Hi
my first post Maybe not what you were looking for but


the Hydro Quebec hub motor has been around for a while. Since 1994 actually, so long it's hard to find it on the web.
I'm trying to find a vid that I saw back then with a converted 1994 Dodge Intrepid
making smoke shows with the 4 wheels and making 0-60 in 5 or 6 sec but it seem to have disappeared



here is two articles of it sorry it's French Canadian first one has a vid in it from 1995 you can see the intrepid in it
and the generator that was in the trunk of the car running on a test bench
http://blogue.transportsquebec.com/2010/05/20/tm4-fait-du-surplace-avec-le-moteur-roue/
http://www.radio-canada.ca/actualite/decouverte/flash/moteur-roue.html
And here is the web site of the company that develop the idea
http://www.tm4.com/electric_corner_module.aspx
and hey what do you know a Wiki article on it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TM4_Electrodynamic_Systems
And a video of a Michelin working prototype 20 years late
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1uTR-8KarE&feature=player_embedded

 

[oddysea]

Hi
my first post Maybe not what you were looking for but


the Hydro Quebec hub motor has been around for a while. Since 1994 actually, so long it's hard to find it on the web.
I'm trying to find a vid that I saw back then with a converted 1994 Dodge Intrepid
making smoke shows with the 4 wheels and making 0-60 in 5 or 6 sec but it seem to have disappeared



here is two articles of it sorry it's French Canadian first one has a vid in it from 1995 you can see the intrepid in it
and the generator that was in the trunk of the car running on a test bench
http://blogue.transportsquebec.com/2010/05/20/tm4-fait-du-surplace-avec-le-moteur-roue/
http://www.radio-canada.ca/actualite/decouverte/flash/moteur-roue.html
And here is the web site of the company that develop the idea
http://www.tm4.com/electric_corner_module.aspx
and hey what do you know a Wiki article on it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TM4_Electrodynamic_Systems
And a video of a Michelin working prototype 20 years late
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1uTR-8KarE&feature=player_embedded

Thanks for the info and congrats on your first post.

Your links emphasise my point - it seems that this is another in a long line of 'hub motor' vehicles that have never eventuated.
The michelin wheel has been around for a while now - I think since 2008 (announced) and it has yet to be used in a real vehicle.

Has ANYONE solved the problems of multiple hub motors?

 

[aeroscott]

check out the Eliica or something built in Japan very fast 8 wheel motors , 8 wheels .

 

[yosemitesamiam]

The reason is that they don't actually work.

Can anyone show me video of a hub motor vehicle that actually does what the manufacturer says it does?
THe protean company back in 2007 or 8 said they could make a 400+ horsepower mini with hub motors. But noone ever actually saw it in operation. And the company that made the motors (PML?) became... Protean - and I still see no video footage of their 'system' operating.

sorry if bringing back a year old thread is bad news...but I'd have to agree...they never want to sell it because they can't? Is it just not possible to get the motors working together with one controller?

I know in golf cart terms, a 4x4 cart with two motors was never ironed out fully...and that seems way simpler!

hmmmmm, and OH to make this work! Anyone else determined to see it work? I would like to!

 

[Ziggythewiz]

I don't think the issue is making the motors work off one (or more) controllers. The issue is unsprung weight. Driving on a typical road is like taking a baseball bat to your expensive electronics, while spinning them on a centrifuge, good idea? So just solve the gravity issue and hub motors will work great.

 

[lutach]

Eliica. Not 100% sure, but I think the Eliica is the only fully functional concept car so far that uses motos at each wheel. It's the only one that has reached 230mph in 2004.

 

[yosemitesamiam]

I don't think the issue is making the motors work off one (or more) controllers. The issue is unsprung weight. Driving on a typical road is like taking a baseball bat to your expensive electronics, while spinning them on a centrifuge, good idea? So just solve the gravity issue and hub motors will work great.

No...nor will it ever be. Spinning creates gravity, it doesn't reduce it.

On that note...now talking in terms of ground clearance here...so trucks, SUVs...etc...what if you took a playing card from the H1 hummer...inboard brakes, etc. Use an electric motor at each wheel station, run it through a short shaft...have the brakes and all tucked up there instead of in the wheel...I know this has all been discussed, reviewed, etc...I'm just not sure why it is taking this long for anyone to actually do it. Where is the hold up? I'm sure a guy like Major will chime in (lol)...cost, efficiency, power of each motor...? Or something else entirely, like a suitable donor with sufficient ground clearance? Seems a small car would not be a good suitor without modifications to the floor pan. And even in a big SUV, you could always go with some geared portal axles! Can someone say "electric Unimog?"

OK, getting ahead of myself.

Sam

 

[yosemitesamiam]

OK, this is what I'm talking about!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBR2NUVa-Z8

of course, not a bus...but this concept...moving a heavier rig around like an exped/suburban, etc like this, and possibly with a small diesel as a generator to offset costs of batteries... maybe a 1.9 VW TDI engine?

 

[Daanii]

We are building a car with one motor per wheel. Each motor is mounted to the chassis (and so is sprung weight). Each motor connects to the wheel via a half shaft with a continuous velocity joint on each end.

So far we only have motors on the rear wheels. But there are lots of advantages to the approach. For one thing, you can implement the differential by software.

Why don't the carmakers try something new? Too risky. Just think back to when there were the first "horseless carriages." People took out the horse and put in an engine or motor. They went with what they knew. It took many years for cars to begin to look like cars, not carriages.

Electric cars today look just like gasoline cars. People just take out the gasoline engine and put in an electric motor. It may take many years for electric cars to look, and work, dramatically differently from gasoline cars.

But I think they will.

 

[yosemitesamiam]

I applaud this post. So very true.

My understanding is that with a motor driving each wheel you no longer need a typical differential or a transmission. The gear reduction can take place at the wheel...is this true in your findings?

Also depending on application, what is a typical sized motor at each wheel? I would think a 80kw size would do just fine especially in a heavier rig.

 

[DrOof]

I really like the idea. It would make the car more simple in many ways. Are there any hub-motor systems for sale already?

 

[charliehorse55]

Perhaps you are thinking of the Concept_One by Rimac motors?

http://www.rimac-automobili.com/concept_one/introduction-20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BV1FCMGgps

 

[Duncan]

Hi Guys

This is the only successful application of this concept

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/lrvhand.html

But it was amazingly successful!

As a very general rule
Torque is proportional to weight
The amount of torque required at the wheel would require a very heavy motor
This is "fixed" by gearing the motor
So I have got to have gears
So for two wheels I can have two motors and two gearboxes or
One motor and a diff (the diff does the gearing)
Why not use a diff? - its cheap, reliable, efficient

 

[yosemitesamiam]

If you use a portal type axle you can accomplish gearing in the hub of the wheel and gain more ground clearance as well thus lowering the vehicle, reducing drag, etc I would think.