In one of the videos, they describe how a really severe pothole would destroy the tire, leaving the wheel & motor intact.
They say that an even more severe pothole would destroy the tire AND wheel, but still leave the motor intact.
Obviously, it's not impossible to encounter an even more severe impact that would also damage the motor. That impact is probably more likely to come from a collision than a pothole, & would also immobilize any other vehicle due to brake damage at least.
Time is the best "test". Embracing new tech comes with risk, but rewards also. Life goes by, time is of the essence. A year of waiting for more certainty, is spending "now" to satisfy what? Fear of the future?
I have experience developing electric motors for use in salt water. I emailed the Elaphe engineers some time ago, and asked some questions based on what I had learned. They had the right answers. In fact, Elaphe has taken the lead in developing ISO standards for this application. Here is a video of one of their test mules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZIgtNXlxuU
Nope, only tests vehicles have ever used hub motors. And untile I have an aptera or lordstown pickup in my driveway I will be very skeptical on its reliability.
In one of the videos, they describe how a really severe pothole would destroy the tire, leaving the wheel & motor intact.
They say that an even more severe pothole would destroy the tire AND wheel, but still leave the motor intact.
Obviously, it's not impossible to encounter an even more severe impact that would also damage the motor. That impact is probably more likely to come from a collision than a pothole, & would also immobilize any other vehicle due to brake damage at least.
Time is the best "test". Embracing new tech comes with risk, but rewards also. Life goes by, time is of the essence. A year of waiting for more certainty, is spending "now" to satisfy what? Fear of the future?
Watch the hour long video with Elaphe/Aptera reporting testing.
https://insideevs.com/news/493268/aptera-lordstown-elaphe-in-wheel-motors/
I have experience developing electric motors for use in salt water. I emailed the Elaphe engineers some time ago, and asked some questions based on what I had learned. They had the right answers. In fact, Elaphe has taken the lead in developing ISO standards for this application. Here is a video of one of their test mules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZIgtNXlxuU
Nope, only tests vehicles have ever used hub motors. And untile I have an aptera or lordstown pickup in my driveway I will be very skeptical on its reliability.