Revolutionary Wheel for Electric Cars Puts Guts Inside Wheel
By integrating a motor, suspension system, brakes and tire into a standalone wheel package, Michelin’s paradigm-changing “Active Wheel” technology is an innovation that could make electric cars truly affordable and practical, as well as fundamentally change the way we approach car design.
When you’ve eliminated the need for an engine, a transmission, a drive shaft, a differential, an exhaust system, shock absorbers and a suspension system within the chassis of the car, not only can you start to imagine entirely different car shapes, you can have both front and rear “trunk” storage, have a lot more room for people in the cabin, and create new safety features to boot.
- » See also: Is the Renault-Nissan Alliance Going in Two Different Electric Car Directions?
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Earlier this year at the Paris Motor Show Michelin revealed the Active Wheel to the world and has since been busy firming up plans to put it in an actual car by 2010, and partnering with other companies for future cars. Granted, the first implementation of the Active Wheel technology does not win any awards for innovative exterior design, but it’s just a start.
The first production car to use the technology will be the 2010 Heuliez WILL, the result of a collaboration between Heuliez, Michelin and Orange. Michelin says the WILL has enough room for 5 people, even though it’s about the size of a compact car.
The WILL can go from 0-62 mph (0-100 km) in 10 seconds with a top speed of 87 mph (140 km/h) — making it fully highway legal. It also will have a range of 93, 186 or 248 miles (150, 300 or 400 km) on a single charge, depending on the modular battery configuration the driver chooses. Target price is around $30,000, putting it in the realm of affordability for most people.
Due to the collaboration with French telecom company Orange, the WILL has been fully wired for advanced communications options including WiFi and 3G.
Taking advantage of the fact that there’s nothing under the hood, the WILL has an extremely large crumple zone up front, prompting Michelin to claim that the WILL is “just as safe as the big cars on the road.” Additionally, the advanced electrical suspension system in the Active Wheels controls all pitching and rolling with an extremely rapid computer response time — 3/1000th of a second — which also presumably adds to the car’s safety.
The first WILLs are already on the road enduring testing and by 2010 the cars will be available for business fleets. Heuliez envisions that first-year production output will be several thousand vehicles. By 2011 Michelin and Heuliez plan on making the vehicles available to the general public.
I only hope that by then we’ve worked out a way for cars designed in the European market to be easily imported to the North American market, ’cause I might just be the first in line.
Update: Bonus video found on YouTube shows off an early concept car using the Active Wheel technology.
Source and Image Credits: Michelin
Hey!
This is really interesting. However, Michelin is definitely not the first company with this idea. Years ago, like sometime in the early 1980’s, Caterpillar began building giant ore-carrying trucks that were designed with a separate electric motor for each wheel. Of course those trucks were not intended to drive more than about 5 mph…however, I’m hoping that this means Michelin won’t have a patent that would completely sew up this technology.
Problem with hub/wheel-mounted motors: if there is a mechanical failure and the motor seizes or binds, driver loses steering control - suddenly and VIOLENTLY.
If you’ve ever been on an electric bicycle that has broken, you know exactly what I mean.
As cool as the concept is: I call “death trap”.
Jo,
I’m not sure, but I imagine they’ve addressed this issue somehow in the design. If not, I can’t see how it would be certified for anything but low speed.
One thing I’ve learned in 13 years of racing: it is almost impossible to predict how a part will fail. Granted, can certainly eliminate some variables here and there, but in the manufacturer’s (and politician’s!) rush to bring green technologies to market, I would expect the certifications are getting handed out pretty easily.
Don’t get me wrong, the concept is sound - I’ll just wait until the 2nd or 3rd gen product to pony up my dollars.
I think they had electic wheels before way before this like 1940’s but they not have suspension in the wheel.
I think Jo’s concerns would be well founded in the pre-computer era, however, car companies are already implementing technologies to prevent over-stearing in current vehicles. I would think providing power independently to all four wheels would make cars more stable when integrated with such technology.
Not a sound design idea. Power plants need to be isolated from the vibration on the road, lest they fail soon and frequently.
Jo’s problem with motor seizures should have been completely solved by now simply by using an adaption of a motorcycle’s slipper clutch. if you try to drive the motor with the wheel, the clutch slips. It was designed to prevent wheel hop on downshifts at the race track, but it should work just as well here.
Another implementation of this idea.
Electric motors as part of the wheel is nothing new. It was first introduced in 1890. Porsche made an electrical car around this time with this.
As driving range is the main limitation for electrical vehicles, placing the motor in the wheel is the way to go. This avoids the significant power losses from transmission and gears.
Other companies such as Siemens in DE, PML-Flightlink in GB are also creating in-wheel motors for electric cars, I am sure there is more.
The real specialty of the Michelin wheel is the motorized suspension. I look forward to see what will be possible with this. It could chance cornering and braking.