Happy and sad wheel motor technology
Before the official introduction of ProteanElectric's wheel motor technology, it is necessary to explain that the application of hub motor technology to automobile manufacturing is nothing new. As early as 1900, Ferdinand Porsche proposed to install the motor. The idea of the wheel, and first made the electric car with the front wheel equipped with the hub motor. But I want to think about it. The production technology of that era obviously can't solve the battery life, durability and a series of problems.
Until the 1970s, wheel hub motor technology was widely used in mining trucks and other professional fields. For the use of ordinary passenger cars, Japanese manufacturers have developed earlier and are currently in the leading position in the industry, including GM and Volkswagen. The auto giants inside are also involved in the technology. At present, domestic automakers have begun to develop this technology. For example, at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, the Ruiqi X1 extended-range electric vehicle adopted the hub motor technology.
What is ProteanElectric? What is ProteanDrive?
Briefly, ProteanElectric is a Detroit-based clean energy company and a leader in the development and commercialization of automotive hub motor systems; ProteanDrive® is the name of the integrated drive hub motor system they developed. The company currently has operations centers in the United States, the United Kingdom and China.
The new hub motor is more powerful and has a wider range of applications.
Protean's hub motors weigh about 34kg each and can provide 100 horsepower (about 75kw) maximum power and 995 Nm maximum torque power output. At the same time, it can recover about 85% of the brake kinetic energy, and it is well matched with the traditional power of the vehicle and converted into a hybrid car. The hub motor can be applied to the 18-24 inch rim. Of course, this system also includes A power supply system that reduces vehicle fuel consumption by 30%.
The general structure is the same, the process and durability are very important
In terms of the basic hub motor mechanism, it is generally the same, an independent fixed rotor, bearings containing electronic control components, inverters and stators, etc., more complicated, and a suspension damping system is integrated in the hub. This is actually not important. The real impact on the popularization and use of the hub motor is its durability. Compared with the body cover, the working environment of the wheel is more severe. The complicated electronic components are a big test under frequent bounce and soil erosion. To this end, Protean's products are more encapsulated and the vulnerable parts are strengthened.
Cooperation with the famous vehicle modification plant Babs
For durability-enhanced testing, ProteanElectric and the car modification company Babs have worked together to develop a hybrid car. The modified car uses a conventional diesel engine to work with the ProteanElectric hub motor to output power on the rear wheels. The hub motors on both sides provide 80 kW (110 hp) and 800 Nm peak torque for the entire vehicle. With the hub motor, the modified car can provide an acceleration time of 0-100km/h and less than 7.4 seconds, and 60km/h to 120km/h will also be less than 5.6 seconds.
2 an advantage with questioned technology
A large number of transmission components are not required, and the car is lighter
For ordinary passenger cars, various transmissions are clearly essential components, which are directly related to vehicle performance; however, complex transmission structures often also mean heavier mass and higher failure rates. Correspondingly, the hub motor solves this problem better. At the same time, the structure is simple, the transmission components are greatly simplified, the transmission efficiency is improved, and the space is improved.
Six wheels and eight wheels in a car are OK
Because the hub motor has the characteristics of a single wheel independent drive, it can be easily implemented in either the front, rear or four-wheel drive versions. At the same time, the hub motor can realize the differential steering of the similar track-type vehicle through different speeds of the left and right wheels or even reverse, which can significantly reduce the turning radius of the vehicle, which is very practical for special vehicles.
A good partner for new energy vehicles
As far as the current development trend is concerned, new energy vehicles are more driven by electric power to meet the general needs of the driver. The hub motor can be used as the main driving force. For the hybrid model, the hub motor can be used as a supplement to the start and acceleration. Power, meanwhile, brake energy recovery, can also be easily implemented on the hub motor.
It is also worth mentioning that the car using the Protean hub motor can be arbitrarily distributed after the ECU commands, and does not need to be distributed to the wheel torque force through a complicated mechanical system (torque vector distribution technology). This technology was first used in racing cars but has recently been introduced into the design of all-wheel-drive cars.
Correspondingly, despite the long-term development, the wheel motor technology still has doubts. First of all, it may affect the driving experience of the vehicle. It is not difficult to understand. Performance cars that usually focus on driving experience usually use lighter weight materials as suspension components, especially to reduce the unsprung weight. However, after assembling the hub motor, the quality will increase significantly, and it is impossible to avoid a certain degree of influence on the driving pleasure of the vehicle.
Another point is that it has an impact on the braking effect and energy consumption of the vehicle. We all know that the transmission power passenger car needs to be driven by the engine, but after replacing it with the hub motor, the vacuum pump energy source will come from the motor, which may mean More power is consumed, and the power reserve of the hub motor is usually not large. At the same time, the working environment of the hub motor is bad, facing the influence of water, dust, etc., and also has high requirements in terms of sealing. The design also needs to separately consider the heat dissipation problem for the hub motor.
Despite the challenges, more and more domestic automakers are beginning to notice the technology. For example, FAW-Volkswagen has already cooperated with ProteanElectric to produce a verification demonstration car. At the same time, ProteanElectric has established a factory in Fuyang, China. The motor is transferred from the body to the wheel, which saves a lot of space and makes the car design more flexible. I believe that the concept car and the production car that will be introduced in the future will also enter our field of vision. This is not a good thing.
