I just did some more research on how this actually works. Either the stator or the rotor has to be rotating mass, because if it's not attached to the wheel it can't drive anything.
The main thing that bothers me is the unsprung weight. If they attached the motor to the chassis and had a short driveshaft connecting to the wheel hub, the unsprung weight would be even lower then a normal vehicle's (since they don't have brakes).
It probably wouldn't be worth the added complexity and reduced space in an economy car, but this is supposed to be a sports/GT car. How well is the suspension going to react at 200km/h with those big heavy motors in the wheels?

When they say "in wheel" isn't that rather "at wheel"? i.e. not turning with the wheel, but making the wheel turn. This prevents from having transmission etc., i.e. much weight and friction removed.

Whenever I hear 'in wheel electric motors' I have to wonder how much unsprung weight that adds. It's rotating mass, too. Who ever thought that was a good idea?
I've been wrong before; I never thought they'd make the Veyron, but this isn't VW we're talking about. I believe they're for real when they start delivering.

Chevrolet is coming out with an Electric car for 2010 called the "Volt" and from what I've understood, it is a relatively "normal" car.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Volt
I only hope they don't collect them and crush them down like they did with the EV1

The Tesla Roadster has the same kind of performances, but it is much cheaper.
Why don't they make "normal" electric cars? You only have the choice between expensive supercars or tiny microcars.

Hi...

do you know the Lightning GT?

Wiki:
The car has four separate wheel-motors, sourced from British firm PML Flightlink, providing all-wheel drive and regenerative braking (no conventional disc brakes are planned), with a total output of 700 bhp. The battery system is a state of the art NanoSafe Lithium-titanate battery packs. 36kw power and will take about 10 minutes to recharge. The expected performance is 0-60 mph in 4 seconds, with a top speed of between 130 mph (209 km/h) and 150 mph (241 km/h). The expected price is to be about £150,000. Deposits of £15,000 are currently being accepted for delivery in 2009.

Homepage: www.lightningcarcompany.co.uk

I want one


Bye,
Wasserspeier