Thoughts on Hyundai "UniWheel" Technology? (7m video)

[Intuit]

The 6.5 minute video can be accelerated.

View: https://youtu.be/Nd6C0y8xc20


NutShell: The design replaces a set of CV joints with a set of planetary gears, neatly compacted and housed inside the hub of a wheel. Each wheel has its own set of planetary gears.

I'm not sure that the name fits well. I also read an article that called it a "One Wheel".

 

[Williamson]

I like Hyundai's more recent performance car contributions (Though mad they killed the Veloster N in favor of the Kona N, but I also hate crossovers) but I really think this is super goofy and not realistic in real life

 

[Intuit]

DId you notice how they said it could be applied to any mode of transportation, but left motorcycles completely out of the picture?

It seems like in their marketing of it, they're conflating other changes, with the "need" for this one.

if they just had four separate motors and four sets of CV axles, they would achieve the exact same "space" savings. Also I've only needed to replace one set of CV joints in nearly half a million miles of four-wheel road travel and that was only because the CV boot tore. Is the complexity of this change really worth the claimed savings in efficiency? The CV joints don't typically weight a ton. How much does this planetary gear assembly weight? I suspect its application may be more limited to vehicles with an exterme amount of suspension travel.

Especially given its location and with respect to durability, lubrication I think would become the greatest factor or concern. What happens when road salt, water, debris inevitably finds its way into this gear system that's now heating up from use? With regard to reliability, it's simple, but there are a lot of joints that are potentially subject to high stress loads.