TheWheel® - the new benchmark for EV traction systems
TheWheel® is a direct-drive in-wheel motor system with integrated power electronics and fluid cooling. Electric energy of your vehicle battery system is converted to torque directly on the road...at 86% efficiency!
The key to high efficiency
Almost all electric vehicles that are now on the market have a fundamental disadvantage: the necessity for a gearbox. Forget about the convention wisdom that traction losses do not exist in a gearbox - gearbox losses are high. And the larger the vehicle, the higher the gearbox losses.
High torque, low revolution
TheWheel® is designed to deliver very high torque at low revolution. Delivered
torque varies but can be as high as 7500Nm (SM500/3) Enough torque to drive a large size heavy
duty city bus without gearbox.
In addition, we optimize our motor design to be as
efficient as possible. In its working area, our motors operate at around 86% efficiency (DC
power to on-road torque) A traction system with gearbox will never meet this
efficiency.
What does 'efficient' mean in real life?
Lets take a city bus with 15 kg of Hydrogen on-board.
Field tests have proven that TheWheel equipped vehicles consume about 1,1kWh/km. Compared to
normal technology, this energy consumption is much lower. In practical settings, our city buses
run 88 km further with the same amount of hydrogen. And the advantage does not stop there. Downsizing a Hydrogen stack means lower system cost. Our city buses have on average 30kW of range extender power on-board. This is enough for continuous operation - whereas conventional Hydrogen city buses need stacks of 45kW and larger.
Reliable and unique
TheWheel® is unique in the fact that it combines a motor, its power electronics and fluid cooling for both (patented: WO 01/54939) Every TheWheel is therefore a complete traction system: reliable and redundant (two motors per vehicle)
