The use of electric drive to rotate the wheels opens up new opportunities for car manufacturers. Someone is trying to implement rear axle steering on large SUVs to make it easier to maneuver, others are trying to capitalize on the ability to independently apply traction to each of the wheels. In the latter case, the car can turn around on the spot, and Mercedes-Benz is implementing this feature for its EQG electric SUV.
Image Source: YouTube, Mercedes-Benz
The latter is the ideological successor to the legendary Gelandewagen and should see the light of day in 2024, adopting a new generation of batteries based on Sila anodes. This week, the German automaker showed off the ability of a Mercedes-Benz EQG prototype to perform a so-called “tank turn” – the car simply rotates in one place if the pavement structure allows it. In this case, the video was filmed when the SUV was making a U-turn in the sand.
Recall that this type of maneuver implies the ability of the wheels on each side to rotate in opposite directions. Rivian also announced a similar feature for its pickups and SUVs, and Lordstown Motors vehicles will certainly offer such an opportunity, because they will literally have traction motors built into each of the four wheels. Thus, we can expect that the Mercedes-Benz EQG will receive an electric motor for each wheel, even if it will be done constructively differently than Lordstown Motors.
GM and Tesla are currently taking a different approach to increasing the maneuverability of electric SUVs by allowing the rear wheels to turn relative to the straight position, but if Elon Musk decides to release a Cybertruck with four electric motors, then this pickup will be able to perform a “tank turn” as well. However, steering the wheels of the rear axle allows you to carry out another maneuver – movement in a diagonal direction, and this is also a kind of advantage.
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