Vehicles could be affordably produced for a wide variety of specialized purposes using a sophisticated wheel unit developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo.
The self-contained unit combines a wheel and an electric motor with braking, suspension, steering and a control system in a single module designed to be bolted to any vehicle frame.
It would free manufacturers from making huge investments to develop those components from scratch and enable the economical production of specialized vehicles in even small quantities.
“The idea is modularity and plug-and-play control capability,” said Amir Khajepour, a mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor at Waterloo. “Our wheel unit, in a sense, is a full vehicle with only one wheel. All that’s missing is a body.”
Automotive researchers first applied the concept to electric, two-seater urban cars, which promise to ease congestion and reduce pollution, but make up only a tiny fraction of sales because of high prices, space limitations and safety concerns.
Mass-produced wheel units would significantly reduce production costs while also creating space for passengers that would otherwise be devoted to mechanical components such as steering columns.
To improve the stability of the tall, narrow cars, researchers also designed and prototyped the units – which weigh about 40 kilograms and have about 25 horsepower – to enable active wheel cambering, or tilting.
“Companies will be able to produce a smaller car that is cheaper, too,” said Khajepour, director of the Mechatronic Vehicle Systems Lab. “Right now, we are not there. You have to pay more to get a smaller car, to get less.”
The next step in the research involves scaling up the wheel unit, technically called a corner module, for large utility and commercial vehicles.
That would pave the way for more cost-effective production of low-volume, specialized vehicles with customized bodies in fields including mining, forestry and rescue operations.
“It’s an economy of scale problem,” Khajepour said. “Corner modules would allow us, without enormous development costs, to make vehicles that are specific for each application, for each function, by concentrating only on the design of the body and the user interface.”
Learn more: New wheel units could bring vehicle costs down
The Latest on: Mass-produced wheel units
[google_news title=”” keyword=”mass-produced wheel units” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Mass-produced wheel units
- TWR Supercat Set to Thrill with Limited Production – Here’s the Inside Scoop!on May 7, 2024 at 6:19 am
Jaguar XJS-basedTWR Supercat unveiledOnly 88 units are to be produced Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) recently unveiled the Restomod Supercat, based on the Jaguar XJS produced in the 1980s. TWR has high ...
- 32 weird technologies that never took offon May 6, 2024 at 4:01 am
We've seen many big hitters capture our imagination, alongside a handful of oddities and misfits that were less successful.
- 10 Cars From The 1990s That Were Ahead Of Their Timeon May 4, 2024 at 11:59 am
The 1990s automotive industry witnessed remarkable advancements in design and technology. Here are some cars from the 1990s ahead of their time.
- 10 Best Driver's Cars With Dual-Clutch Transmissionson May 4, 2024 at 5:59 am
In a typical dual-clutch transmission, one clutch controls the odd numbered gears (1, 3, 5) plus reverse, while the other operates the even-numbered (2, 4, 6) gears. In essence, a dual-clutch is two ...
- All-composite mass-produced bicycle wheelon May 2, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Bicycle-wheel specialist Mavic has developed an all-composite bicycle wheel that can be mass-produced. It took two years to go from prototype to marketing. As a bicycle-wheel specialist, Mavic has the ...
- PACE Awards go to innovations from Dana, Valeo, Yazaki and 10 otherson April 30, 2024 at 4:22 am
Automotive News PACE Award winners ranged from an advancement in lidar technology to a potentially better way to paint cars in the factory.
- Bentley Bentayga Apex Edition Goes All-In On Carbon Fiberon April 29, 2024 at 1:00 pm
The Bentayga Apex Edition has been unveiled with carbon fiber wheels, carbon fiber trim, and carbon ceramic brakes ...
- Wheels of Shame: 50 of the Worst Cars in Automotive Historyon April 28, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Undeniably transformative in history, the Model T revolutionized mobility but also set the stage for mass automobile ownership ... While around 4,000 units were produced, it remains a unique yet ...
- The 10 Most Powerful V6 Production Cars in the World (as of 2024)on April 28, 2024 at 12:44 pm
Capable of 654 horsepower in the Ferrari 296 series, the V6 has come a long way despite increasingly restrictive fuel economy and emission regulations ...
- The Screw Bike Is a Bonkers Omnidirectional Self-Balancing E-Moto With 3D-Printed Wheelson April 23, 2024 at 2:13 pm
This unconventional-looking electric bike is the creation of James Bruton and can effortlessly move in any direction thanks to its Mecanum wheels ...
via Bing News