Technology company Donut Lab has created a range of doughnut-shaped motors that fit directly inside a vehicle‘s wheels and enhance performance by removing the need for traditional powertrain systems.
The circular motors form part of a modular platform of components created by Donut Lab to support the manufacturing of high-performing electric vehicles.
The motors can be integrated into a tyre to provide direct power to the wheel while reducing space and weight. This allows for enhanced energy transfer and greater output with lower energy consumption.
The family of five motor models includes different sizes to suit vehicles from cars and trucks to motorcycles and scooters, as well as a small version for use in drones.
Donut Lab suggested that the motors could enable vehicles to break world records and described it as “by any yardstick the world’s best electric motor”.
“Its performance capability is out of this world,” said CEO Marko Lehtimäki.
Donut Lab developed the products as an alternative to traditional powertrains consisting of an engine, transmission and driveshaft. These systems can be expensive to manufacture and maintain, while adding weight and complexity to the vehicle.
Combining the motor and the tyre removes the need for a separate powertrain, resulting in a more straightforward design with fewer components.
This set-up helps lower the vehicle’s unsprung mass – the weight associated with wheels, tyres, brakes and other components not supported by the suspension system.
With fewer moving parts, direct drive technology can reduce costs and overall complexity, meaning less maintenance and more reliable performance over time.
The system also improves the efficiency of energy transfer, which translates to greater power output and lower energy consumption while extending the range of electric vehicles.
Donut Lab claimed that its motors offer “the best torque in the world” as more power and torque can be incorporated into the same weight and space than any other motor currently on the market.
The 21-inch “donut motor” weighs 40 kilograms, producing 630 kilowatts of power and 4,300 newton-metres of torque. In comparison, the Tesla Model S Performance has 562 kilowatts and 931 newton-metres.
Other models in the family include a 17-inch motorcycle motor that produces 150 kilowatts of power and 1,200 newton-metres of torque with a weight of just 21 kilograms.
There is also a 12-inch version of the same motor for smaller two-wheelers and a “mini-donut” for drones.
Donut Lab has also developed batteries along with AI computing technologies and software required to control the EV hardware.
The motors can function as individual components but integrating them into the wider system can help resolve inefficiencies associated with sourcing components from a range of sources.
“Getting the different parts to function perfectly together and the software to communicate with each other is very time-consuming development work,” claimed Lehtimäki.
“Our solution enables all parts to function without any trouble, accelerating the development effort and opening new opportunities in many fields of industry.”
Donut Lab is a subsidiary of Verge Motorcycles, which Lehtimäki co-founded in 2018 with his brother Tuomo, along with Henri Vahakainu and Ville Piippo. The company manufactures electric superbikes featuring a hubless rear wheel incorporating the motor.
A number of other companies – from startups like Slovenia’s Elaphe to heritage carmakers like BMW – are racing to create the most powerful in-wheel motor.
Renault recently integrated the technology into its limited edition 5 Turbo 3E, billed as a “mini-supercar” with top speeds of 167 miles per hour.
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