© Hyundai Motor Group/YouTube
It's during the “Uni Wheels Tech Day” organized in Seoul that Hyundai Motor and Kia (of which Hyundai is the main shareholder) presented an explosive innovation: the Universal Wheel Drive or Uni Wheel system, which can be seen in detail in this presentation video. The idea of this invention: to integrate the key components necessary for the transmission of an electric car inside the wheel hub. A design that would free up considerable space on board the vehicle.
The reinvention of the powertrain
When we delve into the innards of 8217;an electric vehicle, the heat engine and the gearbox are replaced by an electric motor coupled to a reduction gear. The latter adjusts the rotational speed of the motor to the right level to provide the necessary force to the wheels at different driving speeds.
However, the principle of transmitting energy to the wheels is essentially the same, whether we are talking about an electric or thermal car. That's where Hyundai's innovation comes in.
Uni Wheels moves critical components of the drive system inside unused space in the vehicle: the wheel hub. Rather proud, the creators of this system believe that “it’sparadigm shift in the vehicle propulsion system“.
An innovative configuration, which would optimize the efficiency of energy transmission, which, in systems classics, changes strongly depending on the movement of the wheels. When the angle between the drive shaft and the wheel varies, the power transfer tends to decrease. With the propulsion elements directly integrated into the wheel, this loss of power would be significantly reduced.
More space for legs and luggage!
Another big advantage: such a system takes up less space than a conventional engine. In terms of the vehicle platform, this results in a fairly significant freeing up of space in the trunks, as well as in the passenger compartment.
Since the emergence of EVs on the market, the size of the trunk has been a real problem. Indeed, central components such as batteries or power controllers sometimes monopolize a fairly large volume on a vehicle scale.
This new propulsion technology would possibly open the way to new power arrangements. #8217;passenger compartments, with unconventional seat configurations that can meet new needs as driving automation progresses. For the moment, Hyundai has filed eight patents in the United States, South Korea and Europe for their new find. On the other hand, we do not know more about a potential date of integration into their production vehicles.
- The Hyundai group has unveiled a new system  ;: the Uni Wheels.
- It integrates the propulsion elements of an EV inside the wheel hub.
- This new system would make the motor more efficient and saves space on board.
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