300-mile LEAF to be Announced this Month?

[Titanium48]

Okay, here's a thought. How about four motors? One for each wheel, either in hub or inboard on a short shaft. Eliminate the steering rack, pitman arms, ball joints and anything else associated with the steering. Front wheels no longer pivot. Go with torque vector steering electronically controlled. Just like a skid steer on a Bobcat. Just slow down the inside wheels to turn. Or even run the wheels on one side in reverse to pivot in place. You would have to have steer by wire of course which might worry some people. You could do away with the steering wheel and use a console mounted joystick instead. You could cover the wheel wells with removable skirts to improve the CD.

I don't think skid steering a 4 wheel vehicle will work. It can't be done without causing wheel slip, and once you induce wheel slip you lose a lot of control. A skid steer loader has two tracks an a maximum speed of about 20 km/h. Much different dynamics there.

[johnlocke]

Okay, here's a thought. How about four motors? One for each wheel, either in hub or inboard on a short shaft. Eliminate the steering rack, pitman arms, ball joints and anything else associated with the steering. Front wheels no longer pivot. Go with torque vector steering electronically controlled. Just like a skid steer on a Bobcat. Just slow down the inside wheels to turn. Or even run the wheels on one side in reverse to pivot in place. You would have to have steer by wire of course which might worry some people. You could do away with the steering wheel and use a console mounted joystick instead. You could cover the wheel wells with removable skirts to improve the CD.

I don't think skid steering a 4 wheel vehicle will work. It can't be done without causing wheel slip, and once you induce wheel slip you lose a lot of control. A skid steer loader has two tracks an a maximum speed of about 20 km/h. Much different dynamics there.

There's already wheel slip. Consider how little you actually turn the wheel at driving speeds. Turning the wheel around the axle to maneuver is more for low speed things like parking. At high speed on a freeway you hardly turn the wheels at all. Slowing the wheels on one side would accomplish the same thing. You use a differential now to do the same thing.