This Startup Wants To Put The Motors Into The Wheels Of An Electric Car To Make It More Compact

Imagine an electric car with motors inside the wheels; that would be an intriguing prospect, but the idea is not something new. It has been around for the last century, ever since the automotive industry started to blossom. However, due to some economic and technical issues, it was until recently that the idea was brought to life. However, all the technology we have now is not enough for the design to be launched to the general mass.

REE, an Israel-based startup is working on this very idea, aiming to apply it to solve our current time’s problems. Recently, the company has secured an investment of two billion Israeli sequels (approximately $580 million) to develop its own concept of automotive with motors in the wheels.

One of the edges of an electric car over the traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines is that the structure of the former is much simpler; the motor wheel makes things even easier. REE’s design, which was introduced in Tokyo a few months back, has gone even further than that. The Tel Aviv-based company has changed almost everything we think we know about a car. They place the majority of the car’s most important parts, including brakes, engines, electronics, steering, and suspensions, right next to the wheels.

In the last six years, Daniel Barel and his team ay REE has been working on a modular concept similar to what we see on hoverboards, the trending mean of transport of the young. The concept electric car has a flat platform called a skateboard chassis. This design means that all of the vital parts of the car, like the thermal systems, the brakes, and the powertrain are next to the four wheels. If the idea makes it to reality, we will have a totally different car than what we used to know.

The concept REE is developing may sound exactly like the stuff of science fiction but the company seems to have some progress. It has posted a video in which we can see a platform with most of the mechanics under the chassis. The upper part is now up to designers to create.

Another benefit of the platform is that it is lightweight, sparing the battery of burning much energy to carry the weight of the electric car. On an average car, the gearbox weighs around 100 to 200 kg, but REE has found a way to reduce that mass to only six kilograms.

According to Barel, the plat platform allows the company to install more batteries. In fact, as the motors are inside the wheels, the whole floor can be a huge battery if the manufacturer wants to.

This idea is brought forward when a new era of automotive is drawing really near. REE’s design has the potential to revolutionize the whole industry.

REE has another advantage that can secure the relevance of its design in the modern market, which is the fact that its design is cost-effective. The skateboard chassis of the company can be compatible with multiple vehicles, from a light and compact vehicle to a huge truck. The versatility of the design makes it a cheap option for mass production.

The first step for REE will be introducing the motor in the wheel concept to the automotive industry. The Israel-based company secured a partnership with American Axle & Manufacturing, Mitsubishi, Honda-owned Musashi Seimitsu, and the second-biggest component manufacturer in Canada, Linamar.