singlemotorperaxle

Single motor per axle is a drivetrain configuration in which each driven axle is powered by a single traction motor. The motor drives the axle through a reduction gear and is connected to both wheels on the axle via a differential, allowing torque to be shared between the wheels.

In practice, the motor may be mounted near the axle in the vehicle’s powertrain, and power electronics control motor speed and torque. Because there is one motor per driven axle, the number of motors equals the number of driven axles, reducing motor count relative to systems that drive individual wheels.

Advantages include lower component count, simpler thermal management, reduced wiring and cost, and compact packaging. The approach can offer good overall efficiency and reliability, especially in lighter or mid-range electric vehicles. It also tends to streamline maintenance and packaging compared with configurations that place a motor on each wheel.

Limitations include limited autonomous wheel-by-wheel torque vectoring without additional elaborate drivetrains or advanced differentials. Traction loss on one wheel can affect the other through the axle differential, and redundancy may be lower than systems with multiple motors per axle or per-wheel drives. Some designs mitigate this with electronic stability controls, torque vectoring software, or limited-slip mechanisms.

Applications include many modern battery-electric passenger cars and light commercial vehicles that employ dual-motor layouts, as well as certain hybrid configurations. The concept sits between hub-motor designs and multi-motor-per-axle arrangements, offering a balance of cost, complexity, and driveline efficiency.