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?
- » Get Gas 2.0 by RSS or sign up by email.
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
Well, I agree with Paul, how can a brush-less electric motor 3″ X 6″ lock up a auto wheel doing 60 MPH??? Get real. Regular autos suffer catastrophic failures of the 4th kind. High RPM large parts failing and sending pieces flying like pistons, transmission parts, drive shaft parts etc, exploding gas and/or high pressure fuel cell tanks. No comparison whatever!
Honestly… just say anything as long as it’s ignorant and negative!
Fuel cell is no answer. It is very explosive, high pressure and must be dispensed by…gas stations. We go from gas to Hydrogen, still polluting, just less, and still a monopoly requiring big consumer costs and stopping at stations etc.
Coal power? I am in the west and little is used here. Its all nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, thermo, and all are totally free of contaminates and on the rise countrywide. Modern coal plants are much lower than old, but compared to a major polluter engine in every car, it is still a 10th the pollution we have on the roads now, if all were electric cars and all power was coal plants, it would still be 10 times less polluting than individual motors in every car.
Electric power is it. The current problem is the storage. Only two choices look good right now. Altairnano and Eestor. Eestor is best by far and if they succeed it has a good shot at electric motors taking over all power plants in boats, cars, ATV’s commercial trucks etc, even most aircraft. The prospects of that capacitor are monumental, if not Eestor, someone else will make it but batteries just don’t cut it. We need 10 fold improvement that is not using toxic, potentially unstable, rare or expensive exotic materials like lithium, and that don’t need recycled or have temperature restrictions etc. It is on the horizon, and by 2012 we should see it all working with the sky the limit then.
I forgot to mention, hybrid autos is no answer, a bag of worms, polluting engine and electric power. Maintenance nightmare with both technologies together, half way to nowhere. Better mileage but at what cost? Straight EV, simple, no pollution, very low maintenance, quite, charge at home without side trips, instant go at any temp. What could be better?