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There are several cars that use this already. The issue is not so much ignored; but been dealt with. Multiple EV manufacturers have now successfully used this technology in vehicles. It seems the benefits outweigh the theoretical downsides.

Of course the question remains what happens in a high performance car at extreme speeds. But presumably, Ferrari and Mercedes know what they are doing and have considered this as well.

As for suspension; I'm sure there are ways to deal with that as well. I don't see how this should be any more bumpy than other vehicles for off-road.

A bigger concern would be what you'd do in case of a flat tire as that basically means losing an engine. And when you are in the middle of nowhere, getting some road assistance would not be that easy.




You have the wheel separate to the motor, so you just replace the wheel? Just like you don't currently have to remove the brakes when you change a wheel.


Not if the motor is part of the wheel.


But it wouldn't be part of the wheel... there's no reason for it to be, and it'd make the car impossible to use in countries with snow where you need to change the wheel every spring and winter.


You change tires, not the whole wheels between seasons.


At least here in Norway, you change the whole wheel.


Depends entirely on the car and the wheels. For cheaper cars with cheaper wheels it’s cheaper to have two sets of wheels instead of paying someone to dismount and mount your tires.

For a fancier car with expensive wheels, it’s generally going to be more expensive to buy another set of wheels than pay for 5 years of tire mounting.


Still, what tyre shop is set up to change tyres while still on the vehicle?




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