Goodbye to the Hood: Automakers Propose an Unprecedented Place to Install the Engines of Next-Generation Cars

Written by Noel Budeguer

Published on 24/09/2025 at 18:49

Updated on 24/09/2025 at 18:50

52 people reacted to this.

A Forgotten Technology from Over a Century Ago Returns and Promises to Revolutionize Electric Cars, Changing the Location of the Motor, Expanding Interior Space and Increasing Efficiency

Have you ever thought about a car without a hood, without a front trunk, and without that space reserved for the engine? This idea, which seems futuristic, actually originated over a century ago and is making a strong comeback.

It concerns the technology of motors installed directly in the wheels — the so-called Wheel Motors (WMs). The concept, introduced in 1900 by Ferdinand Porsche, lay dormant for decades, but now it resurfaces as an innovative solution for the electric mobility era.

The Return of a Forgotten Invention

Throughout the 20th century, the location of the motor determined not only the performance of automobiles but also the interior space and even the design of the vehicles. However, this paradigm is being broken.

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Improved Space, Efficiency, and Performance

The advantages of this architecture are numerous. By freeing up the front and rear compartments, there is space for larger batteries, new interior layouts, and greater passenger comfort.

Each wheel, equipped with its own motor, gains movement autonomy, allowing for precise torque control in curves, climbs, and uneven terrains. This means more stability and superior handling compared to conventional systems.

An example is the Sonic 1 motor, developed by Elaphe. Compact and lightweight, it can be integrated into wheels of up to 21 inches, working in conjunction with high-performance brake systems. The absence of axles and differentials reduces energy losses, providing immediate torque and greater energy efficiency.

The gain is not only technical but also economic, as the structural simplicity can lower production costs and reduce maintenance expenses.

A New Paradigm for the Automotive Industry

Besides the direct impact on design and performance, wheel motors can redefine how cars are conceived.

Simplified and flexible modular platforms facilitate the adaptation of models for different segments, from compact urban cars to large electric SUVs. This standardization can accelerate mass production and enhance the competitiveness of manufacturers that adopt the technology.

The resurgence of Wheel Motors demonstrates how visionary ideas can be reborn in new contexts. If at the beginning of the 20th century wheel motors were merely a bold experiment, in the 21st century they could become the key to a cleaner, more efficient, and exciting automotive future.

28 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Wallas

#181154

29/09/2025 00:49

Uma colisão na roda vc perde a roda e o motor 😌

-2

Respond

Gaspar peter

#180856

28/09/2025 13:14

O único problema que vejo é que vai desfavorecer a relação peso suspenso/ não suspenso, afetando estabilidade e conforto.

-2

Respond

Rodrigo

#179930

26/09/2025 20:05

Aqui no Brasil será uma boa ideia para o mercado de roubados, vai ter motor disponível em todas borracharias da cidade.

-2

Respond

Goodbye to the Hood: Automakers Propose an Unprecedented Place to Install the Engines of Next-Generation Cars

A Forgotten Technology from Over a Century Ago Returns and Promises to Revolutionize Electric Cars, Changing the Location of the Motor, Expanding Interior Space and Increasing Efficiency

The Return of a Forgotten Invention

Improved Space, Efficiency, and Performance

A New Paradigm for the Automotive Industry

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Goodbye to the Hood: Automakers Propose an Unprecedented Place to Install the Engines of Next-Generation Cars

A Forgotten Technology from Over a Century Ago Returns and Promises to Revolutionize Electric Cars, Changing the Location of the Motor, Expanding Interior Space and Increasing Efficiency

The Return of a Forgotten Invention

Improved Space, Efficiency, and Performance

A New Paradigm for the Automotive Industry

In the cold desert of Ladakh, where it hardly rains, engineer Sonam Wangchuk created the ice stupa, a tower that freezes winter water and stores it for irrigating crops in the spring, a simple engineering feat that mimics nature.

Almost 6,000 residents live concentrated along a single street nearly 9 km long in the interior of Poland. Houses form a continuous row, and behind them, narrow agricultural strips emerge, creating one of the most unusual rural patterns in Europe.

Libya built over 4,000 kilometers of underground pipelines to bring water from the Sahara to coastal cities in a project that the government itself called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Chinese woman planted trees for decades while sand buried part of her house, received $5,000 from an American in 1999, and helped transform the desert into a forest of 8 million trees in China.

Desert sand, previously discarded for being too smooth for concrete, becomes an ecological brick in the United Arab Emirates, dispensing with Portland cement, curing at room temperature, and attempting to transform dunes useless for construction into raw material for a new arid engineering.

They planted a sea of eucalyptus to produce cellulose, but the monoculture turned into a green desert, dried up springs and rivers, and pushed families out of regions in Minas Gerais and Bahia.

Described by astronauts as one of the most unlikely natural phenomena on Earth, the Okavango Delta spreads over up to 15,000 square kilometers in the middle of the desert and transforms Botswana into a living labyrinth of channels, islands, and flooded areas.

Two new 300cc models from QJ Motor are expected to arrive in Brazil as SBM to target the CB 300F and shake up the low-displacement market, with more power and liquid cooling than Honda.

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