http://inhabitat.com/protean-demonstrates-that-its-electric-motors-can-drive-an-f150-from-the-wheels/ Green design & eco innovation for a better world Sat, 18 May 2013 14:21:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://inhabitat.com/protean-demonstrates-that-its-electric-motors-can-drive-an-f150-from-the-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-361361 zerkouchy Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:04:06 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=241155#comment-361361 Outstanding! Outstanding!

]]> http://inhabitat.com/protean-demonstrates-that-its-electric-motors-can-drive-an-f150-from-the-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-317157 petebike Thu, 21 Apr 2011 02:20:58 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=241155#comment-317157 This Idea has been a "holy grail" of the electric vehicle scene for 111 years now. In 1900 Ferdinand Porsche (yes THAT Ferdinand Porsche) built a series of inline hybrid drive cars that used in wheel electric motors. He even went on to win some racing awards with these intrepid new designs. With an uncountable amount of human brain trust being spent on the electric wheel motor idea, over the course of 111 years or more, there is still not a viable in wheel electric motor for the passenger car. The in wheel electric motor works very well for vehicles that move very slowly. It turns out that, aside from all the other design problems inherent with the electric wheel motor; form factor, humidity, longevity, etc... there seams to be one design hurtle that leaves all the best minds stumped. unsprung weight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsprung_mass. this wiki link explains the challenge posed by increasing unsprung weight much better than I can. This company Protean Elect Motors has been phasing in and out for years now, they keep attempting, failing, filing for bankruptcy, and changing their name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PML_Flightlink My guess is that this latest example of "pancake hub motors" will not be the answer to the hapless search for the viable hub motor, nor will it be the last that we hear form the chaps at protean. although what name they will re-introduce this concept with in the future remains to be seen. I should note on a more personal level, that nobody in the world wants this technology to work more than me, but I have also spent my life dreaming of a flying bicycle. This Idea has been a “holy grail” of the electric vehicle scene for 111 years now. In 1900 Ferdinand Porsche (yes THAT Ferdinand Porsche) built a series of inline hybrid drive cars that used in wheel electric motors. He even went on to win some racing awards with these intrepid new designs. With an uncountable amount of human brain trust being spent on the electric wheel motor idea, over the course of 111 years or more, there is still not a viable in wheel electric motor for the passenger car. The in wheel electric motor works very well for vehicles that move very slowly. It turns out that, aside from all the other design problems inherent with the electric wheel motor; form factor, humidity, longevity, etc… there seams to be one design hurtle that leaves all the best minds stumped. unsprung weight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsprung_mass. this wiki link explains the challenge posed by increasing unsprung weight much better than I can. This company Protean Elect Motors has been phasing in and out for years now, they keep attempting, failing, filing for bankruptcy, and changing their name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PML_Flightlink
My guess is that this latest example of “pancake hub motors” will not be the answer to the hapless search for the viable hub motor, nor will it be the last that we hear form the chaps at protean. although what name they will re-introduce this concept with in the future remains to be seen. I should note on a more personal level, that nobody in the world wants this technology to work more than me, but I have also spent my life dreaming of a flying bicycle.

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