4 ms·

You can buy a car powered with in-wheel motors here: We have developed the first production car to use in-wheel hub motors. https://mwmotors.cz/luka-ev/ https:

You can buy a car powered with in-wheel motors here: We have developed the first production car to use in-wheel hub motors. https://mwmotors.cz/luka-ev/ https://mwmotors.cz/luka-ev/ This car maybe too, as far as I understand it. A Russian UAZ on steroids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCOf_33C1qc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCOf_33C1qc

jacquesm 3y ago
815 Kg curb weight, aluminum chassis. It makes sense for a vehicle with that form factor (2 seater little sports car) but you can't really compare it with a full sized sedan, and note too that it has a tiny battery pack (22 KWh), range is 'unofficial' 300 Km and likely will be adjusted down based on weight/pack size. The four motors together are less than half the rated power of what you'd find in a more conventional (is there such a thing already?) EV. But with that light total weight it will be a zippy little car anyway (most EVs are over-powered for their weight). Still, very impressive achievement and a nice testbed for this kind of tech, it may also make sense for motorcycles and for vehicles that are not meant for highway use.
- Beijinger 3y ago
  What is the advantage of in-wheel motors?
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    That you save on a whole bunch of linkage and drive train components, four wheel drive without the associated complexity, that you can integrate the wheels, motors and brakes, cleaner airflow under the car and that the system as a whole can be lighter weight than the same package with motors near the centerline of the car, so you get somewhat better range. It also gives more space for batteries and/or more storage space. That's why manufacturers will keep trying to get this done, if they can get it to work cost effectively and without impacting that unsprung weight too much it will give them an advantage.
    - Beijinger 3y ago
      "cleaner airflow under the car"? Why should the airflow be cleaner?
      - jacquesm 3y ago
        Because that's automatically better range, cleaner airflow is less drag. That's why cars have all of those underbody skirts, it improves their mileage (and helps with not fouling up the more sensitive bits).
      - 20after4 3y ago
        I think they mean smoother or less turbulent airflow, not cleaner in the sense of less pollution.
tomcam 3y ago
That Luka has some pretty interesting tech and is so sharp-looking. I hope it's a massive success.
- jacquesm 3y ago
  Gorgeous little car! Reminds me of the sports cars of the 50's and 60's. But they apparently dropped the hub motors.
  - cf100clunk 3y ago
    The height of that little sports car reminded me of the ultra-low-height 1960s Lotus Europa (first version) - one didn't so much exit it as roll outwards from it.
    - jacquesm 3y ago
      I've had a kei-car sized sports car that was a hoot to drive but it felt like putting on gloves just to get in.
  - tomcam 3y ago
    Bummer. Like Mazda’s experiment with the Wankel engine it would have been very cool to see the results
    - jacquesm 3y ago
      Well, they did make them. I suspect that the safety concerns were the main issue (less road contact compared to inboard motors).

jacquesm 3y ago

815 Kg curb weight, aluminum chassis. It makes sense for a vehicle with that form factor (2 seater little sports car) but you can't really compare it with a full sized sedan, and note too that it has a tiny battery pack (22 KWh), range is 'unofficial' 300 Km and likely will be adjusted down based on weight/pack size. The four motors together are less than half the rated power of what you'd find in a more conventional (is there such a thing already?) EV. But with that light total weight it will be a zippy little car anyway (most EVs are over-powered for their weight). Still, very impressive achievement and a nice testbed for this kind of tech, it may also make sense for motorcycles and for vehicles that are not meant for highway use.

Beijinger 3y ago
What is the advantage of in-wheel motors?
- jacquesm 3y ago
  That you save on a whole bunch of linkage and drive train components, four wheel drive without the associated complexity, that you can integrate the wheels, motors and brakes, cleaner airflow under the car and that the system as a whole can be lighter weight than the same package with motors near the centerline of the car, so you get somewhat better range. It also gives more space for batteries and/or more storage space. That's why manufacturers will keep trying to get this done, if they can get it to work cost effectively and without impacting that unsprung weight too much it will give them an advantage.
  - Beijinger 3y ago
    "cleaner airflow under the car"? Why should the airflow be cleaner?
    - jacquesm 3y ago
      Because that's automatically better range, cleaner airflow is less drag. That's why cars have all of those underbody skirts, it improves their mileage (and helps with not fouling up the more sensitive bits).
    - 20after4 3y ago
      I think they mean smoother or less turbulent airflow, not cleaner in the sense of less pollution.

tomcam 3y ago

That Luka has some pretty interesting tech and is so sharp-looking. I hope it's a massive success.

jacquesm 3y ago
Gorgeous little car! Reminds me of the sports cars of the 50's and 60's. But they apparently dropped the hub motors.
- cf100clunk 3y ago
  The height of that little sports car reminded me of the ultra-low-height 1960s Lotus Europa (first version) - one didn't so much exit it as roll outwards from it.
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    I've had a kei-car sized sports car that was a hoot to drive but it felt like putting on gloves just to get in.
- tomcam 3y ago
  Bummer. Like Mazda’s experiment with the Wankel engine it would have been very cool to see the results
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    Well, they did make them. I suspect that the safety concerns were the main issue (less road contact compared to inboard motors).