Effect of Hub Motor Mass on Stability and Comfort of Electric Vehicles

Hub motors have always been considered as propulsion for electric vehicles, but not widely used due to various negative aspects. One of these is the uncertainty of the effect the added wheel mass has on the stability, safety and comfort of the vehicle. In this paper, frequency analysis as well as simulations of the system is done using a simple model that represents the vehicle suspension system and wheels. The results of the hub driven vehicle are compared to that of a standard vehicle. It is shown that the added wheel mass has no effect on the stability of the vehicle and that the frequency response is within the accepted comfort range