GKN's Electric Axle Sends 1475 lb-ft of Torque to the Rear Wheels
GKN is the company behind the hardware that makes the Ford Focus RS drift and able to do many other things while going faster around a track than a stock hatchback should. Now, the British engineering firm's latest and greatest is a new drive module that integrates a water-cooled electric motor and inverter with a single speed eAxle reduction gearbox. Measuring 300mm high and 325mm wide, the whole thing weighs just 119 lb, making GKN believe it's the right tool for the hybridization of smaller cars.
The integrated eAxle electric drive module generates a maximum of 87 horsepower and up to 1475 lb-ft of torque, all sent to the rear wheels. Complete with a combustion engine at the front, that sounds like one hell of a plug-in hybrid even without the complications that come with wheel-mounted electric motors.
We'll just have to wait and see which European manufacturer comes out with it first in 2019. GKN's current partners include Volvo, Land Rover, Porsche, Fiat Chrysler, BMW and Ford.
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