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| All the drivetrain future cars well need, two in-wheel motors and a battery pack. |
DETROIT, that mecca of muscle cars, this week played host to a
quiet revolution that is likely to change the way the world assembles its
cars.
Protean Electric, the Chinese-based, U.S.-funded company that makes
electric in-wheel motors, announced it will start volume production of its
in-wheel motor at its new manufacturing facility in Liyang, China, months
earlier than scheduled.
Speaking at the 2013 Society of Automotive Engineers World
Congress, Protean Electric chair and CEO, Bob Purcell, said their in-wheel will
play a significant role in the global automotive industry over the next several
years.
He said Protean’s in-wheel electric-drive system is powerful enough
to be used alone as the only source of traction drive in electric vehicles, but
it could also be as part of a hybrid powertrain system when paired with a
traditional internal combustion engine. Protean’s new production motor can
deliver 1 000 Nm and 75 kW (100 hp) on each wheel.
“Protean Electric is ready to enable the global automobile industry
as it moves to high-volume, low-cost-hybrid and electric-drive powertrains,”
said Purcell. “Our system can be applied to current vehicle platforms, retrofit
existing vehicles or create all new architectures for the future,” Purcell said,
Weighing only 31 kg per motor, the wheels can improve fuel economy
by up to 30%, as they enable designers to do away with heavy axles and chassis.
Being at the centre of things also gives the hubwheels superior
regenerative braking capabilities, allowing up to 85% of the available kinetic
energy to be recovered during braking, said Purcell.
The Witness earlier reported that the Protean
direct-drive system combines in-wheel motors with an integrated inverter,
control electronics and software.
The motor fits into the hubs of 18-inch to 24-inch wheels and can
use the original wheel bearings. Such a direct-drive configuration does away
with traditional drivetrain components, including gearing, transmissions,
driveshafts, axles and differentials.
Freed from the constraints of designing around axles, designers
will be able to create any shape of vehicle and then fit hubwheels to it.
Each in-wheel motor can be controlled entirely independently,
providing far greater control, performance and vehicle dynamics than any other
drive system.
Protean has tested the system on various vehicles, from a cargo van
to a Ford F150.
