Quote:
Originally Posted by e*clipse
Also, they are building the motors into the "uprights" - struts in normal lingo - so they aren't really "wheel motors," they're just small motor/gearboxes with a poor location choice. In this case, they have all the disadvantages of wheel motors (unsprung mass) with none of the advantages (simplicity).
|
I would agree that these motors have *most* of the disadvantages of wheel motors. A large concern with wheel motors is the pounding that they take, and the mechanical slop in the bearings. The wheel motor designs that have been discussed (I read about them but I've never seen one) have tight tolerances between stator and rotor. A bit of wear on the bearing and the rotor rubs on the stator, wiping out the magnets, or coils, or both. As it is a catastrophic failure - that is, the wheel stops turning and metal is shed - even one or two failures during the life of a large number of cars .. that cause personal injury or death .. is too much!
A longer, narrower motor with more standard dimensions and no side load coupled with a gearbox designed to take the pounding is a step in the right direction. Will it work? I'm not sure, but it has a decent chance of working .. IMHO