Toyota has filed a brand new patent software for in-wheel electrical motors, indicating the automaker continues to be engaged on this tech.
The patent software was revealed by america Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) Jul. 18, 2024, and initially filed by Toyota Oct. 30, 2023. It offers particularly with a gear-case design that makes use of two helical gears and thrust bearings, which Toyota claims within the software permits the gear case to resist thrust hundreds on the gears with minimal weight enhance.
Toyota in-wheel motor patent picture
Whereas minimizing weight is an general advantage in automotive engineering, preserving the load of the gear case to a minimal might help scale back unsprung mass—one of many predominant drawbacks of in-wheel motors. An excessive amount of unsprung mass—that means mass not supported by the suspension, similar to motors hooked up the wheel hubs—could make tuning for experience and dealing with tough.
Patent functions aren’t the identical as product plans however, as Simply-Auto has identified, Toyota has filed lots of patents on in-wheel motors in recent times, so it is clearly nonetheless at work on them. Toyota has had an in-house in-wheel motor program up to now (as did Basic Motors), and this would possibly counsel that it both stays lively or has been revived.
Toyota Child Lunar Cruiser idea
Toyota highlighted in-wheel motors as an effectivity and packaging alternative 15 years in the past or extra and had signaled that its iQ EV might need them in an internally developed kind. It arrived with a typical inboard motor setup although. Extra lately, Toyota has teased in-wheel motors on its Lunar Cruiser idea.
The tech is discovering its method into passenger autos, steadily, and Aptera is together with them as a part of what it claims shall be a super-efficient electrical 3-wheeler, however lots of questions on sturdiness and security stay. Hyundai has additionally teased one other method that strikes an in-wheel motor design near the wheels however not in them—however with no clear manufacturing plans.