I like wheels.

Love the '6 pack rat' AMAZING!!!!!

If that electric car has one motor per wheel hub then I suspect that the multiple wheels will do quite the opposite to slowing it down, at least until you flatten the batteries.

I'm no expert on electric cars, but I think what VA is getting at is that a motor per wheel is more effecient, and therefore capable of being quicker than if one bigger motor were used

I may have missed the point entirely

ben got what I meant. I don't know much about electric cars, but it does seem that the ones with one wheel per hub rather than one centralised engine are the most efficient in their distribution of power to weight.

The 8 wheeled electric car has 640hp and a top speed of 370kmph

+1 - no drivetrain losses, as no gearboxes, driveshafts, CV joints, etc.

OTOH, the motors run slower, so doesn't produce as much power for a given weight: in very rough terms, torque per weight is constant for a given motor technology. Spin it faster, and you get more power for the same weight.

As an example, the motor in the Tesla runs up to 14,000 rpm @125mph, so can be lighter for a given power. If it were wheel mounted, the motor would run at ~1682 rpm at 125mph given the tyres being used. Thus, to produce the same power, the motors combined would need to produce ~10x the torque, so would have to be ~10x heavier.

In addition, wheel-mounted motors add a fair amount of unsprung weight - not ideal for handling on bumpy surfaces.

Finally, more wheels with motors means more torque - but that will only result in a higher top speed if the motor is designed to be able to spin faster too, which will require more supply voltage.

It's a balancing act.