Texelis, QinetiQ Collaborate to Develop in-wheel Electric Hub Drive Tech for Armoured Vehicles

Texelis and QinetiQ have agreed to jointly deliver in-wheel Electric Hub Drive technology to military armoured vehicles.

Under the Strategic Partnership, Texelis will manufacture the Hub Drive technology at scale to meet market demands; while QinetiQ will bring the core electrification technology and expertise.

Hub Drive technology combines electric propulsion with mechanical and regenerative braking in a compact package. Efficiency and size has been the weakness of previous attempts at electric propulsion for wheeled military vehicles where the direct drive of motors to wheels has been used. The partnership will deliver a Hub Drive transmission where electrical machines are small-sized for the high-speed propulsion, with all the advantages in terms of acceleration and agility, with the high torque demands for hill climb and obstacle crossing handled by the range-changing gearbox.

The agreement will see Texelis apply its deep vehicle mobility expertise to design the suspension system for the electric wheel hub.

Texelis will be responsible for initialising assembly lines to produce the electric drive hub and WSC at its site in Limoges, France. Jean Vandel, Managing Director for Defense, Texelis, commented: “This is a very important area of development, both for Texelis and the military vehicle market worldwide. The Electric Hub Drive enables enhanced power, system efficiency and the ability to operate silently using the battery as a source of power. This allows us to rethink the vehicle power architecture completely and discard conventional axle and driveshaft design constraints."