Saietta Showcases In-Wheel Motor Technology

Saietta Group's AFT 140 electric motor technology has demonstrated the potential of its in-wheel motor variants for lightweight electric vehicles. Saietta believes that a new generation of electric vehicles is required for inner cities and that electric smart mobility platforms are part of the solution. These platforms can be cost effectively mated to multiple ‘hats' for vehicles acting as people carriers, last mile e-commerce delivery, mobile shops, refuse collection and inner city autonomous pods.

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The AFT 140 motors have also been designed to deliver high efficiency on urban journeys meaning vehicles go further on a single charge.

Moving the powertrain fully into the wheels creates a perfectly flat floor with minimal intrusion into the rectangular platform. This maximises the usable space above the chassis for the primary purpose of the vehicle such as transporting people or cargo, selling products in a mobile shop or collecting refuse.

Smart mobility platform manufacturers typically position the motors outboard but not in-wheel. The circular ‘pancake' shape of Saietta's AFT motors is an ideal fit to be placed fully in-wheel. The motors have also been engineered to deliver the power and torque required at low voltage, making them a significantly safer solution than using high voltage alternatives.

In-wheel motors also reduce parts and drivetrain complexity, offering a lightweight and cost-efficient path to vehicle electrification, eliminating heavy, intricate and expensive components that are often found in other electric drive systems.

Typically, these types of urban mobility applications travel at low speeds in stop-start inner city traffic. Saietta's lightweight and compact AFT electric motors are a good match when placed in-wheel for this relatively undemanding congested city centre usage. The AFT 140 motors have also been designed to deliver high efficiency on urban journeys meaning vehicles go further on a single charge.

Located at the four corners of a platform, the AFT in-wheel electric motors provide excellent manoeuvrability, flexibility, modularity and four-wheel drive capability.

Located at the four corners of a platform, the AFT in-wheel electric motors provide excellent manoeuvrability, flexibility, modularity and four-wheel drive capability. The Saietta technology is also effective at regenerative braking, which puts energy back into the battery pack, thereby extending the range on a single charge.

Wicher Kist, Chief Executive Officer at Saietta Group, said, “Saietta is all about high-tech, real-world, application-ready electric drive technology. We continue to strive to create electric drive solutions for vehicle manufacturers around the world and this in-wheel motor variant for smart mobility platforms is another example of our progress.