Kia and Hyundai unveiled a Universal Wheel Drive System called the ‘Uni Wheel’ at an event in Seoul, South Korea.
Jongsool Park, of Hyundai Motor Group’s Institute of Advanced Technology Development, said: “We are pleased to showcase innovative ideas that could become game changers in the future mobility market.”
The amount of cabin and cargo space inside a vehicle can often depend on what’s under it. Hyundai and Kia have co-developed a new drive component they say will improve driving performance and increase interior space on electric vehicles (EVs), and even have the potential to improve personal mobility devices.
It’s called the Universal Wheel Drive System, or “Uni Wheel,” and it was unveiled at a tech event presented by the sister-company automakers. The Uni Wheel system takes the conventional drive system components between the vehicle’s electric motor and the wheel, and instead puts them inside the wheel itself.
The Uni-Wheel relocates a traditional electric vehicle’s main drive system components and reduction gear into the open space behind a vehicle’s wheel, requiring fewer parts and reducing the cost of EVs. It also frees up space, allowing car designers to add more passenger space, or add larger batteries for extending range.
The Uni Wheel looks to reposition the reduction gear in an EV to inside the wheel hub and then fitting ‘compact’ individual motors closer to each wheel. This would not only reduce the size of the drive shafts, but also the amount of overall floor space used.
A conventional drive system using a regular constant velocity joint suffers from a decrease in efficiency and durability as the angle of drive shaft deflection increases when travelling over bumpy, undulating surfaces.
The Uni Wheel can transmit power with almost no change to efficiency regardless of wheel movement, ensuring high durability, Hyundai said.
The new design will provide the flexibility and scalability needed to meet its EV production and sales goals, Kia and parent-Hyundai said in the joint-release.
Sources: driving.ca; automotivedive.com; greencarcongress.com