An illustration of REE's flat chassis (Courtesy)
Posted on 07/10/2019 4:08:06 PM PDT by SJackson
Israeli startup REE has unveiled a “revolutionary” new design and look for electric vehicles, in which all of the classic components of the car — the motor, the steering system, the brakes and the suspension — are moved from under the hood into the wheels.
This helps create a vehicle framework, the chassis, that is completely flat, like a skateboard, and thus more versatile. This shape also helps reduce weight, an essential component for the success of electric vehicles.
REE’s approach, which will be officially presented on Wednesday at the TechCrunch Mobility event in San Jose, California, strategically places the motor, steering, suspension, drivetrain, sensors, brakes, thermal systems and electronics into the wheels. This allows manufacturers to use the same platform, or car framework, for different types of vehicle bodies.
This will eliminate the need for multiple platforms for different vehicles, resulting in “substantial savings,”as the design and validation of each platform traditionally costs manufacturers $20 billion, the firm said.
The “modular chassis” frees up space by 67 percent and reduces vehicle weight by 33%, data provided by the company shows.
The same platform can be used for any type of vehicle: a high-performance car able to do 0-60 mph in less than 3 seconds, an off-road SUV with advanced active suspension technology, a robotaxi or even a 10-ton truck, the company said in a statement.
The reduced size and weight also increase the energy and operational efficiency of these cars.
“This level of efficiency significantly helps the electrification process, reduces the strain on batteries and ensures the power in the vehicle last longer,” the company said.
REE said it is already collaborating with global original equipment manufacturers, as well as Tier-1 and Tier-2 automotive companies including Mitsubishi Corporation, Mushashi, Linamar, Tenneco and NXP.
“The concepts of the past are limited and restrict the ability of the automotive industry to realize the electric and autonomous reality they are striving for,” said Daniel Barel, co-founder and CEO of REE, in a statement. “Until now, the industry has operated by making incremental improvements on the traditional design of the automotive vehicle. At REE, we believe that in order to hasten the automotive revolution we need to reinvent the wheel – quite literally.”
The Tel Aviv-based firm was set up by Daniel Barel and Avishay Sardes, who are also the founders of SoftWheel, a startup that developed flexible, shock-absorbing wheels for wheelchairs for a smoother ride and more stability without sacrificing speed.
Love to have one of those mules.
Cue intro of The Flintstones.
Great idea! Now, put a ramp on it, a joy stick controller, and an automatic chair lock down and I can drive again. Woo hoo!
Would be fun, but I bet you could buy two ATVs and 2 Snowmobiles for today’s price.
My first thought was the unsuspended weight problem but I would guess that the active suspension could mitigate that.
Probably so.
Make it 4 ATVs. No snow in Columbia SC most years that amounts to much.
I’m in favor of more ground clearance for at least one fam vehicle, sorta like the HumVees.
I thought I saw a lot of these features in Tesla cars.
I wanna fabri-cobble one of those!
As I recall, the engine on those mules hung off the back.
They stole the idea fro the movie “Minority Report” - the scene in the car factory, the cars are constructed the same.
Looks like they are talking about enhancing the hub/knuckle, not the wheel, unless the wheel is part of a motor.
Cool! An onboard bathroom!
GM had this on the drawing boards 20 years ago.
Meanwhile, the neighboring muslims spend their time inventing new ways to kill innocent Israelis.
Bfl.
I think we all know how water affects electronics and electrical components so what happens in the rain, or driving through some water deeper than one foot, or slush? Are these batteries and electrical parts sealed in some way to protect them from frying?
If technology can ever come up with a way to recharge the batteries in a few minutes or if solar panels can be so efficient they can charge a car on the go; then I think it will be the end of production of fossil fuel cars and trucks.
That’s a big “if” right now though.
Then there’s the issue of meeting demand on already over burdened electrical grid and putting the infrastructure of charging stations in place throughout the country; especially for night, rain, or cloudy day driving. I would love to own a super reliable e-car with just a few moving parts that I could drive cross country for less than $100 in energy costs but I don’t think it will be affordable in my lifetime (over 60 now).
Kids growing up today should see this become a reality though... Probably see autonomous cars they just call up with their implanted smart phone like they do with Uber now. Hop in, get to their destination, hop out; then do it again when they need to go to their next destination.
One person recently commented on how autonomous cars will have to have their own roads during the transition because other cars with human drivers won’t have the patience to deal with them or be able to flow in traffic the same way. I can see that being an issue. Probably not unlike how horse and buggies had to deal with the loud motorized automobiles and motorcycles on the same dirt roads a hundred years ago. The two don’t exactly mix well.
Guy in East Nashville had one of those and I tried hard to get it from him but no dice.
My first thought was of the sprung:unsprung weight ratio too. If you add a lot of unsprung weight, while reducing sprung weight; an active suspension would have to counteract a lot of basic physics.
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