Comment by chinathrow
14 hours ago
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"In contrast to conventional radial flux motors, the electromagnetic flux in an axial flux motor runs parallel to the axis of rotation. The key components are arranged in a disc‑shaped layout: two rotors sandwich the stator from the left and right. This design enables an especially compact motor architecture, high power and torque density, and new freedoms in drivetrain packaging. In the new Mercedes‑AMG GT 4‑Door Coupe, the motor at the front axle is just under nine centimetres wide; the two motors at the rear axle each measure around eight centimetres in width. The three axial flux motors are integrated per axle into so‑called High Performance Electric Drive Units (HP.EDU), where they are combined with a compact input planetary gearbox in a single housing."
Really the kind of thing that should be earlier in an article about… that very thing the reader is wondering about, but maybe we arent the target audience?
> that very thing the reader is wondering about
Don’t mistake your curiosity for everyone else’s
It's a press release.
This is the same design that enables the PCB Stator Motors, right?
Yes. If you have a laser printer, that windup sound you hear at the start of a job is the polygon mirror motor spinning up thousands of RPMs - those are PCB stator motors. As were VCR head motors.
"Advantages : A motor can be built upon any flat structure, such as a PCB, by adding coils and a bearing." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_flux_motor with image of "A miniature DC brushless axial motor used in a Digital Data Storage drive, showing the integration with PCB construction techniques."
Floppy disk drive motors, but for cars.
For some reason that reminds me of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW2LvQUcwqc
> This design enables an especially compact motor architecture, high power and torque density, and new freedoms in drivetrain packaging.
Hand waving.
No, it means the motor is smaller and it can be put into the wheel
It doesn't make that a good idea. Armature losses are proportional to torque squared - doesn't matter if it is radial or axial design. That's why all the EVs today have gear boxes with ratios like 13:1. Get rid of that gearbox and the steady-state losses go up with the square of that ratio. Then there are the issues of sprung mass, and where to put the mechanical brakes.
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aren't there other issues with having the motor in the wheels? Unsprung mass, plus the wheels can get pretty banged around?
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