Verge's Hubless Wheels for Production Vehicles
Verge Next, a subsidiary of Estonia-based Verge Motorcycles, invented this Donut Motor. It's designed to drive a hubless wheel.
Although once seen as something that simply looked cool in renderings, the company says the hubless arrangement brings performance and manufacturing benefits, 'delivering unmatched torque and power density with minimal weight.'
For one thing, there's no chain, belt or drivetrain required. Secondly, it frees the body of the bike from the task of holding the motor—everything is now contained within that rear wheel.
That means the entire body of the bike can now be filled with batteries, adding range.
Furthermore:
'The Verge Next Platform redefines vehicle design, drastically lowering the threshold for creating new two-wheelers. By eliminating unnecessary moving parts, the architecture and engineering processes become significantly simpler and more streamlined.'
'Our solution brings multiple benefits: decreased weight leads to greater efficiency, reduced manufacturing complexity minimizes costs, and fewer components translate to lower maintenance needs over the vehicle's lifetime.'
The company has not only incorporated the Donut Motor into their own bikes, but is now licensing the technology. Assuming it does what it says on the tin, our future streetscapes will be covered with hubless bikes, scooters and motorcycles.
Here's a closer look at a Verge bike and how its design is influenced by the motor:
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