Conventional motors waste energy at nearly every point of their operation. But the WaveCrest Adaptive Motor® dynamically reconfigures itself to be always at peak efficiency.

This happens in all environments, at all speeds and in all conditions. The system is equally efficient at capturing energy when operating as regenerative brakes or as a generator.

"I believe this technology will make WaveCrest motors the propulsion of choice for the 21st century, leading to a new generation of vehicles with superior operating characteristics and creating a legacy of environmental responsibility."

General Wesley Clark

The wheel motor is made up of an aluminum hub, lined with a permanent magnet.

Inside of the hub is a multi-phase, DC brushless motor, arranged so that the rotor surrounds and rotates around the center-mounted stator. The rotor is made up of a series of independently-controlled electromagnetic coils driven by a proprietary power electronics module. The housing is backed by an iron plate, a necessary part of any electric motor. The rotor turns on Timken bearings.

The magic is in the electronics and algorithms that control the coils. The system can be updated every 100 milliseconds, keeping track of the position of the rotor and optimizing when the coils need to be turned on or off. The algorithms used to control the coils are the reason that WaveCrest has been able to demonstrate unheard of torque densities.

The WaveCrest motor can be driven by any energy source, from hybrid electric systems to batteries to fuel cells.

The WaveCrest Adaptive Motor® system delivers maximum power and efficiency at every speed.
• Unparalleled electric motor performance as a replacement for the internal combustion engine; eliminates costly drive system and power train
• Wide range of applications: can be used in vehicles such as bicycles, automobiles and mass transit; in commercial and industrial applications; and as a generator
• High reliability/brushless – only one moving part and in-motor redundancy
• Lightweight and very quiet
• Environmentally friendly: no emissions, non-toxic

Charging Ahead
The Achilles heel of the electric vehicle has always been the battery. “If we had a battery that was good enough,” says Richard Schaum, vice president and general manager of vehicle systems for
WaveCrest Laboratories, “we ’d probably all be driving electric cars.” WaveCrest has purchased the patents to further develop spiral-wound battery technology. “On all the hybrids I worked on at Chrysler,” Schaum says, “the battery internal resistance was the bottle- neck. There was plenty more energy that could go in if only the battery would take it.”

The cells are manufactured in a spiral-wound stack instead of the usual cylindrical structure. The heart of the technology is a patented current collector that enables power to pass through the body of the wound cell, directly from one cell to the next producing multiple efficiencies and most of all, reducing resistance.

Schaum says the batteries have shown 92 percent peak efficiency with about 87 percent average efficiency. “The goal,” says Schaum,,“and I believe we ’re going to make it in the next generation, is 90 percent efficiency over 90 percent of its operating range.” Increased efficiency extends the range of pure EV vehicles and the lower resistance enables rapid recharging.

How it works

A WaveCrest Adaptive Motor directly drives each wheel
Each motor is controlled by microprocessors embedded in the control system
Decision-making algorithms track and analyze vehicle performance, identifying load requirements instantaneously and delivering energy precisely
Regenerative energy is captured during braking for reuse in the most efficient way

The WaveCrest Adaptive Motor® system is a breakthrough in motor technology, delivering unprecedented power and performance for vehicles of all shapes and sizes. WaveCrest’s highly skilled, global engineering team has developed this revolutionary motor system by capitalizing on a convergence of recent technology advances:

What makes the WaveCrest Adaptive Motor® system so revolutionary?
WaveCrest capitalizes on the convergence of recent advances in microprocessors, semiconductor power electronics, high-performance software, unique motor architecture and advanced materials, resulting in an electric propulsion system with unprecedented power and efficiency.

The WaveCrest motor has ample torque to directly drive each wheel of the vehicle. In many applications the motor can be directly mounted within the wheel. Microprocessors control each motor; decision-making algorithms track and analyze vehicle performance. By identifying – instantaneously – the load requirements and delivering energy precisely, this design provides unparalleled torque and efficiency throughout the operating range.