Toyota has filed a new patent application for electric motor in wheelshows that the automaker is still researching this technology.
The patent application was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on July 18, 2024, and was originally filed by Toyota on October 30, 2023. The application specifically addresses a transmission design that uses two helical gears and a thrust bearing, which Toyota claims in the patent application allows the transmission to withstand thrust loads on the gears with minimal weight increase.
Toyota in-wheel motor patent image
While weight reduction is a general virtue in automotive engineering, keeping the weight of the transmission to a minimum can help. reduce unsprung mass—one of the main disadvantages of in-wheel motors. Too much unsprung mass—meaning mass not supported by the suspension, such as a motor mounted to the wheel hub—can make it difficult to adjust for ride and handling.
Patent applications are not the same as product plans but, like Just automatic As pointed out, Toyota has filed a number of patents on in-wheel motors in recent years, so it’s clear that they’re still working on them. Toyota has had an in-house in-wheel motor program in the past (as has General Motors), and this could indicate that the program is still active or has been revived.
Toyota Baby Lunar Cruiser Concept
Toyota Highlights motor in wheel as an efficiency and packaging choice 15 years or so ago, and has signaled that its iQ EV might have them in an in-house developed form. However, it has come with a standard inboard motor setup. More recently, Toyota has introduced in-wheel motors on Lunar Cruiser Concept.
Technology is find your way into the passenger cargradually, and Aptera is covering them as part of what it claims will be a super-efficient three-wheeled electric vehicle, but questions remain about its durability and safety. Hyundai has also revealed a different approach that moves the motor design in the wheels near the wheel but not in the wheel—but without a clear production plan.
