http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/01/m...e-wheel-syste/

 

Neato.

 

ugly

 

And here I was thinking it was going to be a "Twheel" repost. So is this just a wheel with a motor behind it, effectively doing away with an engine mounted under the hood of a car?

 

Very cool.

I just don't like that they are working with China. I'm afraid that the US will be technology follower and not a leader in the next decade

 

I don't think so. It's just a wheel with suspension inside it.

 

That's why I asked.

 

It has what, an inch of suspension travel?

I understand this is really cool and all (as it is) but fundamentally I look at this and just get nervous about having all those forces in such a small space.

Also tech like this is still waaaaaay off. I mean, Bose put out linear actuated suspension technology how long ago? And we still dont have it today.

 

Michelin is not an American company; why would they care?

 

I scanned the article, but not carefully enough.

That motor looks rather small, I wonder what output it's good for.

 

considering the weight savings vs the standard car if you were to get rid of all the drivetrain, you could probably make a car under a ton. rather than what we have now at 1.5 to 2 tons. There are issues though... like.. for instance.. balancing the wheel, putting a new tire on. you know the little things. Also it is more parts per corner really. So if one motor goes out, the car is effectively non-drivable... Definitely not something that is going to be used anytime soon. But I would guess this would be an electric car type of thing.. And I have my own opinions on the whole "everyone should drive an electric car". I think it will go the say of the Tweel or whatever that was. Looked nice, but became impractical for use on automobiles

 

That, and the environment inside a wheel is not exactly friendly to electronics and electrical components ... water, salt, dirt, heat, virtually undamped vibrations and road forces. Plus it's all hanging out there as unsprung weight.

 

Technology is an extremely broad term. Are you talking automotive technology? Home Electronics technology? Military applicable technology? Everything?

 

Why?

We have one motor now and if it goes out the car is also non-drivable.

Hard to guess how reliable these will be.

You could say the same thing about hybrids. If the electric motor or tranny dies the car is undrivable no?

 

That is true. I was looking more at the cost. Not only that but the chances of them becoming damaged and not working over the standard components we have in cars today, and how easily it may be to fix in both cost and time.
With 4 drivetrains, the chances of failure increase at least twice over, PLUS the extra supporting electronics needed to accomplish all 4 wheels turning at the same time. It is lot more complicated really than what we have now I would think. for the most part. that excludes the AWD cars, but I am sure that even those are easier to set up than that would be.