Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, USA, Videos



EVDrive is an electric drivetrain engineering company and they've built the most amazingly outrageous UTV development mule. Ever. Imagine, if you will, a side-by-side utility vehicle with each wheel powered by an electric motor capable of putting out 30 kilowatts (40 horsepower) and 66 pound-feet of twist. That's 120 kWs (160 hp) altogether and, after going through reduction gearing, enough torque to tear a tree stump from terra firma. To be precise, 2,904 lb-ft at peak.

But raw power is only part of the story here. Perhaps the more impressive element of what they fittingly call Terra-Torque-Drive is the wheel control. Sophisticated software can make each tire precisely turn at any speed, or direction, independently of the others. This gives this monster mule unprecedented traction control for getting through the unstickiest of situations, torque vectoring for impossibly-good handling, braking akin to running into a wall, and zero-radius turning.
To our admittedly child-like minds, this last super power is the best. If you're unfamiliar with the term, basically it means this thing can spin in place. That is to say, turn on a dime. This is as awesome as it sounds and has been previously limited to vehicles using tank-like treads. Say you're on a narrow trail which suddenly terminates due to a bottomless pit created by a stray meteor (or something), instead of backing up until you can find a place to turn around, you can activate zero-radius mode on the touch screen control panel, turn the steering wheel a bit left or right, and spin until you pointing in the opposite direction. Sweet!

Sadly, this piece of off-road insanity is not yet publicly for sale. The OEM for which it was originally developed decided not to continue with the program, citing a lack of funds. There is some hope, however, that this tech will be tearing up the terrain in the near future.

EVDrive, as well as continuing to seek a new powersports partner to pick up this program, is putting their "Terra-Digital-Torque-Steer" technology in to the capable hands of our friends over at EV West to adapt to full-size off-road vehicles. Remember, these are the guys who put the drivetrain in the not-merely-awesome SRI Baja Buggy and thus the implications boggle the mind.

To help get a grip on the power and potential of this electric drivetrain, scroll below to see the UTV put through its turf-terrorizing paces, as demonstrated in the company's promotional video, then peruse the official press release for more technical details.Continue reading EVDrive electric UTV makes zero-radius turns an awesome reality

EVDrive electric UTV makes zero-radius turns an awesome reality originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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