| Alternate powertrain | | - Idea is to put a single motor inside the vehicle and connect it to a rear differential driving the rear wheels
- Would use constant-velocity universal joints to connect drive shafts to the wheels
- Several potential options for physical orientation of motor and differential
- This is how it's done in practically all production vehicles (such as the Tesla Model S)
- Benefits:
- Greatly simplify suspension upright design, especially brake mounts
- Eliminates the concern of matching torque of two separate motors
- Greatly reduces unsprung mass, improving handling
- Eliminates a motor controller from car, recovering some space/wiring
- Reduced motor failure rate, more spare motors
- Cons:
- Reduced torque/power, greater losses due to friction in differential and drive shafts
- Greater mechanical complexity inside car
- Affects placement of battery boxes
- May require a new motor
- This will be discussed prior to the Thursday meeting between Devon Copeland + Matt Suski + Minghao Ji
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