I have never talked about it
this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2025
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Well we've been actively excluding you from this incredibly exciting conversation about electric motors.
Can confirm
Well, you have now.
If these pan out, it could be much cheaper to make cars with torque vectoring AWD. And cheaper to make ridiculously quick cars in general.
That sounds as if Musk could soon make an offer to take over the company. Then probably also an out-of-court settlement worth some millions so that he can call himself co-founder as usual. Finally, he could speed off into the sunset on a goddamn cyberbike - hopefully never to be seen again.
I thought a big problem with these types of wheels was dealing with the added unsprung mass?
I don't think the article addressed it directly, but it seems like it's improved due to being lighter weight with more torque and offset by not needing axles or gearing since it can be mounted in the wheel. It says they weigh 40kg, which isn't too bad compared to axles and gearboxes in my experience with ICE vehicles.
I'm curious how this holds up to things like potholes and minor fender benders if it's integrated in the wheel. Imagine hitting a huge pothole or a curb and not only having to replace a wheel, control arms, hub, ball joints, etc but also an entire electric motor.
Are gearboxes typically unsprung? I was under the impression that the flex from the CV joints sorta disconnects the weight of the drivetrain from the wheels and it's instead connected more rigidly to the body, which is sprung.
These may be a net reduction in mass, but likely still an increase in unsprung mass
Not in an ICE vehicle, but I may be under the false impression that some EVs use gear reduction after the motors, similar to how portal axles are set up. If that's not the case, then you're right it would just be the CV axles that are removed which don't weigh quite as much.
It's more of a power unit thingy, for at least Teslas and Mercs. The motor(s) and gearing are in one big box that sits on the subframe(?)
Here's an article with a photo. Tesla having such a large cult following, means it's slightly easier to find than other brands' EVs' drivetrains, but I'm sure they've mostly figured out the same solution.
Unsprung*. They partially address it in the article.
That won't be a problem with these motors. "We call it the infinite motor because it will outlast the life of the vehicle when done right,"
You're being very generous.
I'll believe it when I see it, because there are lots of hurdles to overcome. It seems promising though so I'm cautiously optimistic.
Isn't Verge already making motorcycles with this type of motor?
That is what they say in the article.
Ah, I see I missed that single reference while skimming the article.
They're missing a category for ebikes. Larger and lighter than their scooter motor, but doesn't need to hit 15kw. 3-5kw is plenty. Drone motor doesn't have enough torque for ebikes.
The main reason these motors are so powerful is entirely about high surface area allowing for cooling. For ebikes could have fat tire format but with added fairly thin mag wheel spokes, that allow for high range gear cassettes, or just placing into traditional frame designs.
The smallest 3kw motor could likely be used on ebikes. If that's not enough just add another motor for 6kw, and that's more than enough for an ebike.
Might be a tad low on toque though.
The scooter motor is too small in diameter. Power and torque are awesome/too high though. The drone motor is way too low on torque.