(March 25, 2011)
NTN Corporation (hereafter, NTN) has developed the world's lightest “In-wheel motor system” in which a control system (including an inverter) coupled to the sensor information, is incorporated in the in-wheel type motor which has been under development till now, for use in next-generation electric vehicles (hereafter, EV).
The in-wheel motor system, is a system where the motor and speed reduction mechanism are directly mounted to the wheel, and does not require an engine, transmission, gears, drive axles and etc. compared to internal combustion engine vehicles which is the current mainstream system. Therefore, the weight of the vehicle except for the battery can be reduced, and improves the mileage per charge (electric costs). Since the number of components can be reduced, the man-hours for assembly and maintenance of the vehicle can also be reduced, which greatly improves the flexibility of the space and body design. Compared to the current mainstream one motor type EV system, since this new system directly transmits the driving force to the tires, there is no energy loss caused by the gears, drive axles and etc., and by omitting these components, this system excels in weight reduction, the securing of the interior space and maintenance. Drive shafts are also unnecessary in the in-wheel motor system, which enables parallel movement and turning on the spot.
The world's lightest “In-wheel motor system” developed by NTN, promotes improvement and high performance of the modular products, where the in-wheel motor is equipped with a cycloid speed reduction mechanism, hub bearings and various sensors. Considering safety the top priority, reliable and stable running was realized by incorporating a system (including an inverter) which properly controls the motor driving force, based on the information from sensors.
In the development of the in-wheel motor system, various durability tests, such as submersion tests and vibration tests were repeated, in order to secure sufficient reliability during actual running.
[ Features ]
(1) High reliability
- Secured reliability by performing various durability tests
(2) Vehicle stability control system coupled to sensor information
- Improved driving performance by independent control of the driving force of the right and left wheels
(3) Basic specification
- World's lightest
- Achieved a driving performance equivalent to a compact vehicle by applying to two wheels
- Achieved maximum speed of 150 km/h
- Secured a durability performance of 300,000 km
[ Applications ]
In-wheel motor EV
[ Contact ]
Product Innovation and Intellectual
Property Strategy Department
TEL: +81-6-6449-3602
[Photo of Product]
[Overall Configuration of the Vehicle System]
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