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The shape of the electric car and, most importantly, is electric vehicles so that their power is about to change. Pa Cost of CES 2025Electric car maker Donut Lab has released parts for its second-generation all-wheel drive. The new motors promise big power and torque with very little weight and, like the company’s name, a big ol’ hole in the middle.
The way EVs are built takes a lot from the architecture of electric cars: There’s an engine (sometimes two or three) somewhere in the car’s body that’s connected to the wheels via a drivetrain. Electric vehicles promise to shrink and move the components in the wheel arches, freeing up space in the house for people and goods. However, there is one big problem that Donut thinks it can beat: the motors are too big and too heavy.
Donut Lab’s second-generation donut-motor fits into a 21-inch hoop, promising 630 kilowatts (845 horsepower) and 4,3000 newton-meters (3,171 pounds of torque) per unit. Before you get too excited about the amount of torque, consider that “normal” electric torque is usually measured on the rotor before it’s multiplied by a single-speed gearbox that donuts don’t have. So while the 21-incher’s torque output is impressive, it doesn’t leapfrog, say, a Tesla drive unit.
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However, where the donut-shaped engine shines is its weight – every EV engineer’s biggest enemy is the manufacturer. The 21-inch unit is said to weigh only 40 kilograms, or about one-third the weight of a rotor-and-stator model. Low weight means a lot of different things. Of course, you need two motors per axle (unless you’re building a trike), but with the extra weight from the half-shafts, CV joints and other drivetrain components, Donut reckons its hubless wheels can save hundreds. pounds. Less weight means more variety, which is good. Alternatively, more motors with the same weight or less means more precise control and more power, which is great!
The automaker also claims its motors are up to 50% cheaper to manufacture, saving about 120 percent on the road. This would make for cheaper cars on the road. Moving the engine in the wheel arches also saves space inside the chassis that can be used to transport cargo, passengers, more batteries or aerodynamics testing. (Think about it Jaguar i-Pace or Polestar 3‘front wings, but dangerous.)
The Donut design integrates the engine and its cooling system into the rim of the wheel, saving weight and freeing up space inside the chassis.
Of course, the elephant in the room is that even though the Donut Lab wheels are lighter than previous wheel motors, they’re still heavier than conventional powered wheels. Most importantly, they add pounds to the worst place a car can weigh: under the suspension. Gaining more mass, as is well known, has a greater impact on performance and comfort than the equivalent amount found in the car’s chassis and the surrounding mass is more difficult to deal with. With 80-plus extra spokes on the wheel, there should be an impact on braking, handling and ride quality, although it remains to be seen how much.
Next to the 21 inch car wheel, Donut Lab also introduced a range of 21-inch alloy wheels boasting low RPM, 200 kW and 2,212 lb-ft (3,000 Nm) per wheel. The line will also include a 12-inch scooter motor (15 kW) and a 120mm drone motor (3 kW). Donut’s 150 kW, 17-inch motorcycle is already being used on the road for a few. boutique electric bikeso the chances of seeing this technology on a car in the future are better than you might think.
