Protean electric hub motors in 2014

[kach22i]

Article about funding and making them in China.
Protean Electric snags $84 million to produce in-wheel motors in China


Video in link above is worth watching.

Company website:
Protean Electric

I first saw an image in a car forum and looked it up, which first brought me to this short article below.

2013 10Best 10 Most Promising Technologies – Feature – Car and Driver

WHEELING AND DEALING
Ferdinand Porsche’s idea of building a hybrid’s electric motors into the wheel hubs leaves more space for passengers and batteries, but carmakers have hesitated to adopt this arrangement, fearing that major increases in unsprung weight will harm rough-road ride and handling. Challenging that assumption, Protean Electric contracted with Lotus Engineering to conduct extensive tests *comparing a standard sedan with one propelled by wheel-hub motors. Lotus’s surprising conclusions: Average drivers won’t notice the performance degradation attributable to extra unsprung weight, and normal development tuning should overcome most steering, ride, and handling ill effects. Protean expects to start wheel-hub-motor production in 2014.

[YeahPete]

I wouldn't build a new vehicle with hub motors, but to retrofit an older car with them sounds like a good idea. I am also under the assumption they will be lacking in power. I am no expert though maybe they will prove me wrong.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Rear-mounted hub-motors are the electric drive layout I'm less unfavorable for a daily-driver. If 4WD was required, I'd rather bolt a single motor to a differential, since unsuspended mass in the directional axle leads to a heavier steering.

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's another in-wheel hub motor:

Green Car Congress: Ford and Schaeffler demonstrate Fiesta-based e-WheelDrive car; follow-up research project in the works

[Allch Chcar]

I don't like hub motors because they tend to be limited in size and the lack of gearing. 516 ft-lbs might sound like a lot of torque. But at the wheels, it's a fraction of the torque available from the ICE Fiesta.

Lotus’s surprising conclusions: Average drivers won’t notice the performance degradation attributable to extra unsprung weight, and normal development tuning should overcome most steering, ride, and handling ill effects.

I find that hard to believe. People can tell a difference from losing a total of 10-20lbs for lighter wheels on a Miata. Do they really expect us to believe we won't feel 50-100lbs more?

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

I don't like hub motors because they tend to be limited in size and the lack of gearing. 516 ft-lbs might sound like a lot of torque. But at the wheels, it's a fraction of the torque available from the ICE Fiesta.

I find that hard to believe. People can tell a difference from losing a total of 10-20lbs for lighter wheels on a Miata. Do they really expect us to believe we won't feel 50-100lbs more?

Its unfortunate the hub wheel unicorn can't fly, I could live with the unsprung weight on the rear of both the honda insight & cobalt I own and on the subuaru 360 front wheels if it meant I could recycle a cheap Ford Escape pack into a regen/limited distance ev system. Heck the subaru would drive 8 miles on that pack, maybe more.

Cheers
Ryan

[NeilBlanchard]

Wheels only spin up to about 900RPM - so why would they need gearing? They have tons of torque already. The SIM-Drive hub motors are very efficient. Direct drive motors (with drive shafts straight to the wheels) have nearly the same efficiency, but can have *less* unsprung weight than typical, if you put the brakes inboard. The FVT eVaro did this.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

I don't like hub motors because they tend to be limited in size and the lack of gearing.

I actually like the compact size of hub-motors due to the space savings, which can ease the arrangement of the battery banks or eventually leave more room for the trunk.