This car has no engine, no transmission and no differential: it weighs half of a normal car: each of its four wheels has an electric motor which allows it to contribute to the movement of the vehicle and a rapid change of direction: at current state, however, you need advanced control for the movement or it is really difficult (not to say impossible) to drive it.
Junmin Wang is an assistant professor of Mechanical engineering at Ohio State University, and the his team is creating and testing the algorithms necessary for the on-board computer of a car like this to make it stable, receiving and analyzing data 100 times per second from the wheels, pedals and steering to coordinate each element and return a harmonious and safe movement.
“Without coordinated control it would be impossible to direct such a vehicle,” Wang points out.
With a valid control system (a bit like what happens with smaller and more manageable vehicles, think of the Segway) a car with 4 electric motors in the wheels it would be the perfect city car: efficient, manoeuvrable, emission-free.
Wang's team's work began 4 years ago with the concession of a research grant worth €350.000 and continues today, with a vehicle weighing 800kg which guarantees energy efficiency. The 7.5kW motors are powered by a 15kW lithium-ion battery and connected by cable to a central computer. It is not yet possible to know the real autonomy Vehicle (the team guarantees 8 to 10 hours driving for one single charge, but testing so far They have not been reliable), and above all the date of possible marketing.
According to Wang, everything will depend on the improvement of the computational skills and on the improved algorithms: in our opinion we will not see things like this around for 5-10 years, better to be realistic.
