In-wheel motors could reshape cars - Technology has potential to change design and powertrains

摘要

The white Vauxhall Vivaro van, its diesel engine rumbling, groans to a stop at a suburban Detroit stoplight. Tom Prucha, Protean Electric Inc.'s engineering executive, is behind the wheel. Protean makes in-wheel electric motors and the Vivaro he's driving has motors in both rear wheels. At the stoplight, Prucha presses a button on the instrument panel. The diesel engine goes silent. When the light turns green, the Vivaro, now powered solely by the in-wheel electric motors, accelerates quickly and smoothly, more like a sports car than a commercial van.