Volvo Recharge wheel motor TEST DRIVE
- 10 years ago
Learn about EV technology: http://www.electric-vehiclenews.com
Volvo / PML finally demo a vehicle running with 4 in-wheel motors. The spec quoted by Volvo is MUCH less than was originally announced by PML in 2006. Volvo says these demo motors are 50 hp (36kw) with 1000nm. PML have said ever since 2006 these motors would have 160hp (117kw)
So they have about 1/3rd the power they said and I'd have to say the torque figure is extremely suspect too. The Volvo s30 is a small lightweight car, yet on the only slight grade on this video it slows down substantially and the video is edited well before it crests the hill.
In my experience, with their claimed total of 4000nm of torque, coming from electric motors which have 100% torque from zero rpm, the S30 wouldn't even notice a hill twice as steep or twice as long as the one in the video.
I regularly drive up a much steeper hill @60kph on cruise control with a 1600kg car that has 1200nm at the back wheels with the engine rpm steady @1500 rpm. It wouldn't even notice the grade in the video so I'd have to say there's NO WAY the PML wheel motors on this Volvo S30 have 1000 Nm each!
It is believed the asking price for these wheel motors was $25-35,000 EACH.
Volvo / PML finally demo a vehicle running with 4 in-wheel motors. The spec quoted by Volvo is MUCH less than was originally announced by PML in 2006. Volvo says these demo motors are 50 hp (36kw) with 1000nm. PML have said ever since 2006 these motors would have 160hp (117kw)
So they have about 1/3rd the power they said and I'd have to say the torque figure is extremely suspect too. The Volvo s30 is a small lightweight car, yet on the only slight grade on this video it slows down substantially and the video is edited well before it crests the hill.
In my experience, with their claimed total of 4000nm of torque, coming from electric motors which have 100% torque from zero rpm, the S30 wouldn't even notice a hill twice as steep or twice as long as the one in the video.
I regularly drive up a much steeper hill @60kph on cruise control with a 1600kg car that has 1200nm at the back wheels with the engine rpm steady @1500 rpm. It wouldn't even notice the grade in the video so I'd have to say there's NO WAY the PML wheel motors on this Volvo S30 have 1000 Nm each!
It is believed the asking price for these wheel motors was $25-35,000 EACH.