Here's a cool little tech toy ...

[unixronin]

... a free-piston 100kW multifuel generator that weighs 100kg, will fit under the hood of a subcompact car¹, has no rotating parts, is 50% efficient overall², and will run on anything from biodiesel to hydrogen.  At 25kW per 125cc module, this should eat conventional small generator manufacturers for lunch.

[1]  The four-module 100kW unit is 11 inches square by 26 inches long.  You could put a single 25kW module between the rafters in your garage, or under the kitchen sink, and in terms of space usage you'd scarcely notice it was there.

[2]  Pempek claims electrical efficiencies as high as 95%.

Comments

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's a somewhat reasonable compromise. It does solve the unsprung weight problem, and has less power loss than a full centralized driveline, but still more than a direct wheel motor.

The other big win of direct wheel motors is you don't need an axle at all. With the motor built directly into the hub, there can be almost no intrusion of suspension/driveline parts into the interior volume of the vehicle. But to make it really practical to do, you really need superconducting motors.

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

exactly, but until they build 'em why not take advantage of existing tech, such as teh CV Axle?

since the motors are so small, they'd fit easily under the floor boards!