A few years ago, Finnish-Estonian startup Verge launched a wild motorcycle with a rear wheel so hollow you could stick a leg straight through it. Now the moto builder has realized the powerful ring-like hub motor sitting inside that hollow wheel has untapped potential reaching far beyond just???
I’m struggling to think of another application where a ring motor would be the superior option, except maybe: 1) EUCs, or 2) scenarios where the transmission needs to reside within the motor. That latter scenario is from something I vaguely remember seeing on YouTube, where the opposite was performed: sticking an engine within the hollow cavity of a massive transaxle.
But this is already a niche list of applications. Automobiles would not benefit from hollow hub motors because there’s already stuff onboard of each wheel. The only plausible case is for an AWD/4WD vehicle that wants to minimize torque steer by having the transaxle length be equal on both sides, precisely by having the transmission and motor centered.
Spokes – of both the wire variety on bicycles, and the solid type in automobiles – serve a structural purpose, and their removal for no other reason than aesthetics is a disservice to practicality, specifically by increasing weight and servicing effort when changing a tire.
You forgot 3: When you want to look like some cool dude on a bike from the future.
The future is chrome!