Protean In-Wheel Motors Could Up Hybrid Efficiency By 300 Percent
Posted By Laura K. Cowan On August 2, 2011 @ 8:16 am In automotive,Green Transportation,News | 2 Comments
Many electric concept cars [4] feature in-wheel electric motors [5] to move them down the road, but only recently have they truly proven themselves as the greenest way to move future hybrid vehicles [6]. A Vauxhall Vivaro diesel hybrid equipped with Protean’s [7] electric in-wheel motors recently showed a 300 percent fuel economy improvement in hybrid mode, showing that there really is something to these bad boys.
The Protean [8]-equipped Vauxhall is being shown this week at the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminar in Traverse City, Michigan. Said Protean Chairman and CEO Bob Purcell of the design: “Our technology is uniquely designed for high-output, high-efficiency operations. Our in-wheel motors are unique in that they have the rotor on the outside and each motor’s electronics on the inside. That simplicity of design creates more power density per motor and much simpler vehicle integration. It’s the closest thing to a bolt-on hybrid system.”
Protean’s in-wheel motors can be integrated into new or existing vehicles, which makes this incredible leap in efficiency even more exciting for an industry that needs to find ways to make all vehicles more fuel efficient–and quickly.
Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/protean-in-wheel-motors-could-improve-hybrid-efficiency-by-300-percent/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/protean-in-wheel-motors-could-improve-hybrid-efficiency-by-300-percent/
[4] electric concept cars: http://inhabitat.com/ian-kettles-citroen-egoiste-is-an-ev-for-fashionistas/
[5] in-wheel electric motors: http://inhabitat.com/protean-demonstrates-that-its-electric-motors-can-drive-an-f150-from-the-wheels/
[6] hybrid vehicles: http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=hybrid+vehicle
[7] Protean’s: http://www.proteanelectric.com
[8] Protean: http://www.proteanelectric.com/
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