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Behold The Hyundai Uni Wheel. Transportation May Never Be The Same
(cleantechnica.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
The steering wheels' hubs rotate in two directions. The steering action rotates through a vertical axis while the typical suspension rotates in a front-to-back axis pinned approximately through the other side of the car. So unless they abandoned common suspension design to let tires lean in turns more than a reasonable amount, there needs to be an allowance for angular deflection. A pinion gear arrangement sounds like it would take up a lot of the space they're trying to save but still not solve the multi-axis problem found at all 4 wheels. I'm trying to not take their video so literally but it's not like it's a dealership rep spouting incomplete info here
Unrelated comment, but holy shit I am a huge fan of the M8. So wild to see you on Lemmy, and this comment section is exactly what I'm here for.
But you need a CV or Universal on that drive shaft to accommodate suspension travel (or steering if needed on that wheel).
Now imagine there is a handle sticking out of the crankshaft that needs to rotate around the shaft with the hand crank as it gets turned. That is the motor.
The video never showed the motor moving along with wheels turning, only the up and down part. In fact, when they showed space savings they showed the motors as stationary with no clear way to turn.
Suspension movement still requires flex in the shaft. There's no way around it unless the engine moves with the suspension
With how small the motor is you could also pivot it alongside with the wheel, after all, something pivoting with the wheel doesn't mean that it has to be unsprung.