12/04/2020 Schaeffler Puts Rear E-Wheel Drive Electric Ford Fiesta On Display

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Schae er Puts Rear E-Wheel Drive Electric Ford Fiesta On

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APR 20, 2013 at 10:30AM

By: INSIDEEVS EDITORIAL TEAM

Schae er will o cially present their E-Wheel Drive electric wheel hub drive inside a Ford Fiesta .
This electric Fiesta was produced in association with Ford as a "development vehicle," so don't
look for this plug-in Ford at your local dealership anytime soon.

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12/04/2020 Schaeffler Puts Rear E-Wheel Drive Electric Ford Fiesta On Display

The Ford is propelled by twin E-Wheel Drives that are installed in the rear wheel arches. This in-
wheel system includes all components required for "drive, deceleration, and driving safety in the
highly-integrated wheel hub drive – like the electric motor, power electronics, controller, brake,
and cooling system – are installed inside the wheel rim."

Wheel Hub Drive Cutaway

Features of the drive units:

40 kW (110hp) per drive, continuous output of 2 x 33 kW (90 hp)

liquid-cooled wheel hub drive
delivers up to 700 Nm of torque
electrical voltage of the high-voltage drive is 360 – 420 V
total weight of 53 kilograms, or about 45 kg more than a traditional wheel and bearing
inside a 16-inch wheel rim

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12/04/2020 Schaeffler Puts Rear E-Wheel Drive Electric Ford Fiesta On Display

W-Wheel Fiesta May Show Where The Future Of Small City EVs Are Headed

Prof. Peter Gutzmer, Member of the Executive Board and CTO at Schae er, o ers his
observations on the new technology, which is actually Schae er's 2nd generation prototype:
“The B-segment vehicle serves as a pre-production model. However, wheel hub drives have to
be integrated into new vehicle concepts in order to demonstrate their strengths to the full.
Thanks to this highly-integrated wheel hub drive, we can now re-think the city car without
restrictions. It will be a key factor in new vehicle concepts and automobile platforms in the
future."
"For electric vehicles used in urban environments, which may become obligatory in many
densely populated areas, the wheel hub drive makes previously unheard-of space savings
possible. In these new vehicle concepts, all components that are relevant for propulsion,
braking, and driving safety are housed inside the wheel. The vehicle platform therefore provides
maximum space for passengers, luggage, and for the battery, electronics, and communication
systems. And vehicle manufacturers can use this as a basis for a range of di erent body
designs. Automobile manufacture originally started in just the same way.”
For more information (and quotes) about Schae er’s E-Wheel Drive research project, check out
the company's press release on the Ford concept car here.
 

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