That’s what I just read - ‘at the wheel’ not ‘in the wheel’
They would take a pounding in an offroad vehicle. I prefer to have them on the frame where they are not absorbing all that abuse.
Exactly - in Lordstown’s Endurance the motors are referred to as unsprung mass; i.e. the motors are just dead weight attached to each wheel. In Rivian’s design they are supported by the vehicle’s shocks and suspension system. I know which design I prefer to drive.
Really?
Not according to any docs I have found. Everything refers to it as "gearless". Here is a good read on the Elaphe L1500 used in the Endurance.
No. The wheel bolts directly to the rotor.
That is how they work. Lots of poles. This does not result in more torque. The rate of rotation of the magnetic field is inversely proportional to the number of poles so the field for a 24 pole motor takes 12 times longer to go through 360 ° than a 2 pole motor. To get 12 times more torque requires 12 times the number of turns or 12 times the current or some combination thereof such as 3 times the number of turns and 4 times the current. And or stronger magnets.
Not me. The added unsprung mass would compromise ride quality and performance which are far more critical in a passenger vehicle than a commercial truck. And while it may be far less complex and more reliable in comparsion to an ICE vehicle, I wouldn't automatically give it a reliability advantage over other EV motor arrangements. I think not using hub motors was absolutely the right decision for Rivian.
Not really relevant to the discussion but I wonder if you have heard about the half shaft situation with the Tesla X. Some of them develop shudder under high acceleration and apparently this is due to a problem with the front half shafts. Replacement is the fix and evidently they still haven't solved the problem. I was at the shop for something minor and when I went to pick up the car they took me back through the shop so I could go out a side door. There in a corner I spied a HUGE pile of half shafts. Wish I'd had the presence of mind to snap a pic. Probably would not have been appreciated.
No, not familiar but out of curiosity I just did some Googling and happened across this article regarding a new Tesla Service Bulletin for this apparently common problem.
