Mounted in the rim of an electric vehicle’s wheels, the motors increase efficiency by delivering power directly to where it’s needed most.
In 1900, Ferdinand Porsche and Ludwig Lohner unveiled an electric car with battery-powered motors attached to its front wheels. It was seen as a sensation, but the technology never took off as petrol cars accelerated to world domination. More than a century later, in-wheel motors are making a comeback. “In-wheel motors are a game changer,” says Luka Ambrozic, chief commercial officer of Slovenian company Elaphe Propulsion Technologies, one of the leading developers of the technology.
These examples show that in-wheel motors can be used for both lightweight and heavy-duty applications, says Ambrozic, although the designs must be tweaked for each purpose. “It’s not about having a one-size-fits-all motor,” he says. But some industry experts believe in-wheel motors may have limited uptake in mainstream markets.