IN-WHEEL MOTORS
sector is forecast to be worth over $1tn per year by 2025)
they are not the sole benefi ciaries.
Universal benefi ts
“Connected Autonomous Shared and Electric (CASE)
vehicles are getting the most of the media attention,”
remarks Gotovac. “But the benefi ts of in-wheel propulsion
are universal and will fi nd their way into more traditional
vehicles. Every vehicle can benefi t from lower weight and
energy consumption, extra interior space, and improved
maneuverability,” he adds.
However, the autonomous sector is one which will be
best served by in-wheel solutions. “Autonomous vehicle
developers benefi t greatly from the increased safety and
data-related benefi ts of a distributed in-wheel powertrain.
The speed and accuracy of control brings benefi t to all levels
of vehicle autonomy. Additional modularity also has a large
eff ect on the way these vehicles are designed. The freedom
of design and fl exible modular platforms are key to
user-focused mobility,” Gotovac believes.
When it comes to modularity, Hilton concurs. “The Holy
Grail is to get vehicle design as modular as possible.
In-wheel motors are about as good as it gets
because they are almost entirely independent
of the vehicle body. A vehicle can have diff erent
dimensions as it doesn’t make much diff erence
to the powertrain.” Also favoring modularity is
Israeli startup REE, which debuted its in-wheel
modular platform at the 2019 IAA Frankfurt
Motor Show, alongside its Japanese Tier 1
strategic partner Musashi Seimitsu.
More traditional passenger-carrying vehicles
have already accepted in-wheel technology
with open arms. Electrically-powered buses are
becoming common in cities, and Ziehl-Abegg’s
ZA wheel electric axle drive module has
enjoyed success, due to the compact design
advantages in-wheel motors bring. “You can
design the vehicle according to the mileage
needs of routes,” explains Dr Sascha Klett,
technical managing director at Ziehl-Abegg.
“This means you can defi ne the size of the
batteries and alter charging strategies,” he
states. There are other parallels with solutions
designed for smaller vehicles, one being
ELECTRIC DREAMS
While Porsche is known for creating
some of the finest and most famous
big-engined sports cars ever, it could
have been a totally different story
for the manufacturer as its first
ever vehicle was actually electric.
Ferdinand Porsche had a penchant
for electric power and started his
career designing electric power
drive systems, including the Egger-
Lohner C.2 Phaeton in 1898, which
was powered by an octagonal
electric motor and had a top
speed of 25km/h (15mph). In
1900, he created the motorized
wheel hub, with the innovation
featured on the Lohner-
Porsche Electromobile. It had
a chassis and body made of
wood with one internal-pole motor
on each of the front-wheel hubs,
with an output per motor 2.5ps
and a maximum speed of 37km/h
(23mph). It was powered by a fortyfour
cell 80V lead battery and could
offer around three hours of use at
top speed. It was a revolution at the
time, however the technology failed
to take off as it was too heavy with
the car weighing two tons, it also
lacked power and range, and there
was insufficient i nfrastructure.
3. Autonomous mobility
will benefi t from in-wheel
technology such as the
Protean360+ module
4. The Lohner-Porsche
Electromobile featured
electric in-wheel
motorization in 1900
3
4
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