Dutch Invention Uses Electric Engines For Wheels 380
Makarand writes "A Dutch invention is
promising to make vehicles atleast 50% more efficient
and also bring down the soot and carbon dioxide emissions. This is made possible by replacing
the conventional wheels by 'in-wheel' electric engines which are normal electric engines turned inside
out. No transmission is necessary as the in-wheel engines are powered by battery-packs installed on
the vehicle. A diesel-powered generator which replaces the original engine on the vehicle
charges the battery-pack continuously. The Dutch company
E-Traction has built a bus using this technology that
will undergo testing for the next six months."
This isn't anything new. (Score:3, Interesting)
http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/imagery/apol
Will it stand the test of time? (Score:5, Interesting)
Not that I want to be a naysayer. I hope it pans out, but don't be too surprised if it quietly goes away never to be heard from again lot a lot of other great ideas. (I remember a british high speed train that leaned into curves, that was quietly taken out of service after much initial fanfare)
gyroscopic effect (Score:1, Interesting)
A quiet bus in a busy city... (Score:4, Interesting)
The other thing is, since the motor is now the wheel, I wonder what the costs will be to maintain these wheels. I think it's still better to have traditional electric motors with the rotor on the inside, since there's really not that much to gain from having an inside out motor, and more to lose when you need to get at it to fix it. Using traditional motors rather than the inside-out motor also means less change need to be made, since the wheels and tires can be used from currently available parts.
terrible idea (Score:4, Interesting)
This idea will never be marketable, as the vehicle will handle terribly and have a terrible ride.
Wheel drive (Score:3, Interesting)
This same company has a similar motor for smaller vehicles here [e-traction.com]. It uses short axles so the motor is not direct on the wheel.
There are some space considerations with this motor, but while it would work on a bus, such a large amount of unsprung weight on a smaller vehicle would not promote a great ride or handling.
Power/size and other statistics (Score:4, Interesting)
Among one of my personal projects was an electric car, which I tried to make out toothpaste boxes/etc. The most natural way to move the car was, ofcourse to attach the electric motor (I had only one) to one of the wheels. I did this by attaching a small wheel to the motor shaft. Ofcourse, it didn't work out right: because of only one moving wheel, the car moved in circles, rather than straight as desired.
My point is: doesn't attaching the engine to the wheel seem like the *most* logical choice in the first place? Why build complicated transmission mechanisms and a centralized engine in the first place? The reason, I think was to use only one big powerful engine to power all wheels (or two, incase of a 2 wheel drive) simultaneously. Since the engine is the single most expensive component of a vehicle, it made sense to use only one of them, especially so, because most of them have a very high space:power ratio.
Electric motors seem to suffer from the same problem (high traction motors are incredibly huge). I would like to see figures on the size/power of these engines, and ofcourse, the size/weight of the batteries which the vehicle would need to haul along.
Re:Just an improvement of standard hybrid technolo (Score:5, Interesting)
I, for one, will welcome the results of the real-world tests of this thing. If it works as well as they claim, they could put those wheel-gines in all sorts of vehicles. And based on the size of them, I'd say they're going in large vehicles first. Can you imagine the Hummer ad campaign when the release a vehicle that is more fuel efficient than a Toyota Echo?
Unsprung mass as proportion of vehicle mass (Score:5, Interesting)
Nadolig llawen,
R.
What about motorcycles? (Score:2, Interesting)
This doesn't bother me in principle, except that no one has made a feasible hybrid/alternative motorcycle. Reasonable bikes these days get 50-60 miles per gallon, so it hasn't been a concern, but with "vehicles" like the Honda Insight getting 70+ mpg in the city, bikes may soon need to worry about having a reputation as gas guzzlers.
Anyway, here's to hoping Janklow gets the maximum sentence.
Re:electric engines (Score:3, Interesting)
I remember some years ago reading an article about the potential hazard to careless pedestrians of virtually silent electric vehicles, the obvious solution being to put a loudspeaker on them and play a suitable sound. One suggestion was the sound of horses' hooves.
Will it stand a flat tire? (Score:2, Interesting)
I guess this might not be a big deal for a city bus company, since they can just radio HQ and get someone to drive out with a new engine. But if this technology were ever used in real cars, that would be a major drawback.
Re:Will it stand the test of time? (Score:3, Interesting)
It was pretty much doomed after the first real-world journey, when it induced vomiting in the assorted dignitaries and members of the press who had been invited along.
Another great British idea which died (at least as far as Britain is concerned) was the world's first magnetically levitating high-speed train, [suttononline.org] developed by Eric Laithwaite. [bbc.co.uk] I remember seeing his Royal Institution [rigb.org] Christmas Lectures [rigb.org] in 1974 (I think I'm too young to remember the 1966 ones). It's a real shame that this man's genius was spurned in his own country, while other nations have exploited his ideas with conspicuous success. [guardian.co.uk]
FYI, this year's Christmas Lectures are being broadcast on Channel 4 [channel4.com] in the UK this week, starting tomorrow (Sunday).
Re:Two more words: (Score:3, Interesting)
Making a wheel that is an electric motor would make such a heavy wheel thtat the vehicle would handle and drive like total crap. The huge weight of the wheels would require shock absorbers with huge dampening ability to keep the wheel planted on the road over uneven surfaces. It would ride like a dump-truck.
In addition, you wouldn't be able to buy aftermarket wheels (no rims that spin at the traffic light), so no buying a set for winter. The obvious solution is to move the motor inboard and connect it with a short axle.
Re:Hydro Quebec had worked on that long ago (Score:2, Interesting)
The project of building a complete car from scratch was abandonned because it needs massive investments. They figured it would be easier to find partners and license this technology. GM bought a license [gmcanada.com].
Another reason why they prefer licensing the technology is that is may be not a great idea to put all this weight in the wheel. Taking a bump could easily destroy the suspension.
Three words--century old design (Score:2, Interesting)
OTOH, this is why inventions eventually enter the public domain...
Ferdinand Porsches first patent IIRC was an electric car with motors-in-wheels, regenerative braking. all wheel drive, etc.
Had lead acid batteries, which made it impractical, which is still the case for the most part.
A hybrid is , has been, and will be, the only sensible solution for a LONG time.
Absolutely nothing new here.
Hydro-Quebec's electric motor-wheel (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Two more words: (Score:3, Interesting)
However, I am a little concerned about the longevity of the moter, as it would be subjected to every pothole and bump.
Re:Two more words: (Score:3, Interesting)
-russ