Orbis Electric has developed a modular in-wheel motor with the performance of a V8 engine, says Nick Flaherty.

The HaloDrive is an axial motor that is designed to fit inside a wheel, reducing weight and improving range by up to 20%. It uses a modular, four-part architecture with an injection-moulded plastic stator and a tunable gearset. This provides a torque density of 100 Nm/kg, equivalent to a V8 engine, says Orbis, based in Santa Rosa, California.

The in-wheel motor is designed for a variety of e-mobility applications, including commercial transportation, trucking fleets and passenger vehicles, as well as marine systems and aerospace platforms. The technology is an alternative to more common Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors electric motors.

The 50 kg dual-rotor version for battery EVs generates continuous power of 78 kW with a maximum output of 145 kW with peak torque of 5500 Nm and has efficiency of 96%. Versions are available from 200 to 800 V. It includes an integrated lightweight disc brake and electronic parking brake, making use of the inertia of the motor, and is ready for vehicle assembly lines because it also uses a cartridge-type wheel bearing drawn from OEM specifications, says Orbis.

The variant for hybrid vehicles has a single rotor and generates 53 kW continuously with efficiency of 93%. Using an in-wheel design saves valuable space in a hybrid that needs to accommodate a battery pack alongside the combustion engine in an existing vehicle platform.

Both have diameter of 428 mm, while the dual-rotor version is 132 mm deep and the hybrid single-rotor version is 115 mm deep and weighs 42 kg.

The motor can also use non-neodymium magnets to avoid supply chain dependency on the rare earth elements (REEs) used in such magnets and to reduce cost, although performance will be reduced.

The motor can be used in various drivetrain positions without requiring structural modifications. As well as in-wheel positioning, the motor can also sit between the engine and the transmission, on the transmission output shaft and on the rear axle.

The motor has been piloted by leading passenger vehicle OEMs for in-wheel propulsion systems and in heavy-duty trucking fleets as diesel-replacement generators. In these commercial applications, the electric motor is already delivering significant cost savings, including improving one customer’s fleet fuel efficiency by 61%.

One of the emerging applications is using electric motors as generators for electric transport refrigeration units in commercial trucks. Installed on the driveshaft or an axle, the HaloDrive motor converts the truck’s braking energy into cost-saving electricity to power mobile refrigeration.

“Our approach with HaloDrive is and always has been about creating a motor that not only meets the immediate electrification needs across a range of industries, but is also compact and efficient enough to position businesses for future energy and sustainability standards,” says Marcus Hays, founder and CTO of Orbis Electric. “This is something our engineering team of EV, aerospace, fabrication and environmental experts has spent years developing. We can achieve exceptional performance while also mitigating risks tied to rare earth materials, ensuring consistent availability and pricing stability.”

Orbis Electric is actively seeking Tier 1 production partners for the drive as well as OEMs, fleets and industrial customers. Orbis has previously worked with Volkswagen on a 559 kW prototype using an in-wheel motor design that was completed in August 2024.

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