Wheel hub motors will become the mainstream application trend of new energy vehicles

The technology and application of wheel hub motors have revolutionized traditional automotive transmission systems through disruptive innovation, and are highly forward-looking in the new energy vehicle industry. They are widely recognized as the mainstream development trend of future new energy vehicle drive technology, with enormous prospects for industrial development.

Wheel hub motors will become the mainstream application trend of new energy vehicles

On March 3rd, the New Energy Vehicle Investment Strategy Conference jointly organized by Gaogong Lithium Battery and Changjiang Securities was held at the Marco Polo Hotel in Futian, Shenzhen. The conference was attended by nearly 200 investors, securities firms, and leaders of the new energy vehicle industry chain.

At this meeting, Xu Dong, Business Development Director of Protean China, highlighted the current development status and future trends of wheel hub motors.

The drive system is divided into two types: centralized drive and distributed drive. Traditional internal combustion engines and electric motors use centralized drive, which provides power through a complex and sophisticated transmission system, including clutches, transmissions, driveshafts, differentials, transfer gears, etc.

The wheel hub motor adopts distributed drive, integrating the drive, transmission, and braking devices into the wheel hub, omitting transmission components such as clutch, gearbox, transmission shaft, differential, and transfer case.

Xu Dong introduced that the advantages of using wheel hub motors are reflected in seven aspects: a. Utilizing the internal space of the wheel hub to enhance the freedom of vehicle layout design; b. High integration, achieving low floor and integrated electric chassis, axle design and application solutions; c. Integrated modularization facilitates the design of a universal platform for the entire vehicle, resulting in lightweight design; d. Distributed electronic drive control for the entire vehicle, and achieving diversified dynamic driving characteristics; e. The vehicle system has the best efficiency and maximizes energy saving; f. Complete set of high power and safety performance redundancy; g. Support efficient plug-in hybrid vehicle transformation to reduce vehicle project development, component and production line costs.

At present, wheel hub motors still face some challenges in the field of electric vehicles, including the need for corresponding adaptation of tire hubs and supporting hub bearings; Innovative application scheme for friction braking system; The chassis system and other components have corresponding tuning or new design to adapt to solutions such as NVH tuning and vehicle handling caused by changes in unsprung mass after the use of wheel hub motors; In addition, it also includes solving electronic differential control and developing four-wheel distributed drive vehicle control strategies through torque vector distribution.