Voyager Viridian : Active Wheel System

The Voyager’s Giant Observation Wheels utilizes an Electric/Hydraulic wheel drive system to rotate the wheel. This system has 16 truck tires powered by electric motors that are engaged by hydraulics onto a flat metal surface on the rim of the giant wheel.

To better maximize the continuous rotation of the wheel and the tires, Voyager Viridian has proposed improving these tires with the new Michelin “Active Wheel” system to generate electric power while the tires and wheel rotate during daily operations.

Along with wind systems, solar systems and wave technologies, Voyager Wheels custom wheel drive system, “reinvents the wheel!”

Voyager Viridian “Active Wheel” Partners

Strategic Voyager Partner
Michelin “Active Wheel” System

The Michelin tire company is getting closer to commercializing its electric wheel concept. The company has been showing off versions of the “Active Wheel” since 2004. The system contains virtually all of the components necessary for a vehicle to propel or stop: an electric motor, suspension coils and springs, and braking components. The only thing missing is the source of energy.
Fed by lithium ion batteries or fuel cells, the Active Wheel’s electric motor will output 30 kilowatts of power—per wheel that is. Vehicles using this system can be configured with two Active Wheels up front, or one at each corner. This allows manufacturers to offer both two- and four-wheel drive setups.
Key advantages include reduction of energy losses, greater all-wheel drive capabilities, better regenerative braking, and extra space. With most mechanicals out of the way or eliminated, designers can expand the cabin and possibly have two trunks, one in front and one in back. In addition, the technology offers the possibility of easier conversions of gas-powered cars to electric power.
Michelin presented two vehicles, the Venturi Volage and Hueliz Will, using the Active Wheel at the 2008 Paris Auto Show in October. While the idea of placing motors directly into wheels seems revolutionary, the concept has merely come full circle—all the way from the early days of automotive history. (This is far from a comprehensive sample of the many vehicles, mostly concepts, which use electric wheels.)

VENTURI VOLAGE

The Venturi Volage is a four-wheel drive two-seater roadster using four Active Wheel systems. The Volage, which produces the equivalent of 300 horsepower, accelerates from 0 to 60 in less than five seconds. It has a range of approximately 200 miles. The Volage is slated for a limited production run in 2012. Price has not yet been determined.