Automaker Hyundai has unveiled a groundbreaking innovation in electric vehicle (EV) technology with its latest creation, the ‘Uni Wheel’ system. Unlike traditional in-hub motors, this revolutionary drive system integrates certain drive components within the wheel, reducing the size of EV motors and creating more interior space for passengers and cargo.
The Uni Wheel moves the reduction gear into the wheel hub, allowing Hyundai to employ a smaller motor for each wheel rather than a large drive unit for the entire axle. This individualized approach to powering each wheel offers advantages in both performance driving and safety, as each corner of the vehicle can independently respond to its surroundings.
What sets the Uni Wheel apart is its ingenious gear organization inside the hub, enabling movement within the wheel while maintaining power transmission. This unique design eliminates the need for a Constant Velocity (CV) joint, enhancing power delivery and driving range by eliminating efficiency losses associated with angled connections.
The freedom provided by this technology extends to controlling the vehicle’s ride height more flexibly. Vehicles equipped with the Uni Wheel can adjust their height for aerodynamic highway driving or increased ground clearance without compromising performance.
Hyundai’s Uni Wheel is not only versatile but also scalable, fitting wheels as small as four inches in diameter for personal mobility devices and expanding to wheels up to 25 inches for larger vehicles like cars and SUVs.
While Hyundai has tested the Uni Wheel for durability and filed patents in key markets, including Korea, Europe, and the United States, the company has not announced a production timeline. However, Park Jong-sul, senior research fellow at Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Advanced Technology Institute, expressed excitement about presenting innovative ideas that could be game-changers in the future of mobility. “We are developing technology so that customers can experience mobility in a completely different and new way than before,” Jong-sul added.
source: https://www.carscoops.com/2023/11/hyundais-new-uni-wheel-system-shrinks-ev-motors-by-integrating-drive-components/
