[LINK] Standards, please! The third coming of electric vehicles

[Karl Auer]

On Sun, 2012-04-22 at 16:42 +1000, Richard Chirgwin wrote:
> Let's say, rather, that they're not yet on the market ...
> 
> http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/corporate/about_us/technology/environment/e/miev.html

I wish them well, but feel that the in-wheel design will cost them
dearly.

It will help handling and weight distribution, get rid of the diff and
drive shaft, allow better distribution of battery weight, allow more
room inside the capsule and probably allow for *really good* skid
control software. Theoretically you could even selectively reverse
wheels :-)

The multi-motor idea also makes for a vehicle that can be made
"fail-safer" in the sense that one or motors can fail without leaving
the vehicle stopped. It seems unlikely that any advantage has been taken
of this.

I wonder whether the additional rotating mass in the wheel will cause
the wheel to resist steering inputs significantly more?

Anyway, whatever the benefits, I think having the motors bouncing up and
down, at the mercy of the road, so to speak, is a very bad idea. Quite
apart from almost certainly making for worse road handling and a less
comfortable ride, they are also maximally exposed to dust, dirt, water
and so on. They seem a very expensive item to treat that way.

Regards, K.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)
http://www.biplane.com.au/kauer

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