Hyundai Mobis develops in-wheel electric motor

Hyundai Mobis, South Korea's largest auto parts manufacturer, announced on Sunday that it developed an "in-wheel system" that places an electric motor inside the wheel of a car.

The system maximizes power performance by attaching a drive motor to each wheel and allows for rotation in place (zero turn) or movement to the side like a crab (crab driving).

Hyundai Mobis has independently developed both the drive motor and controller technology for the in-wheel system. A pilot vehicle, based on IONIQ 5, is currently configured, and reliability verification work is in progress for mass production in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Company.

Benefits of the in-wheel system include improved power efficiency and fuel economy, increased cruising distance, improved driving performance, and implementation of special motions. The system eliminates the need for a separate part to transmit driving force to the wheels, thereby maximizing driving efficiency and fuel economy.

Additionally, the in-wheel system creates free space within the wheel, which can be utilized for a large battery to increase mileage. The motor controls each of the four wheels to efficiently distribute power, resulting in a fuel economy improvement of over 20% with the four-wheel in-wheel system.

"We plan to complete the durability and reliability development by the end of this year to enable actual mass production of the in-wheel system," said Oh Heung-seop, head of the electrification BU at Hyundai Mobis. "We will continue to improve our technology to meet future mobility needs."

Write to Han-Shin Park at phs@hankyung.com