The Ferox Azaris will hopefully be inspiring vehicle architecture to embark on some twisted designs in the future, but for now it’s a test bed and demonstrator for a 98 percent efficient in-wheel motor, according to New Atlas.
The Azaris is a side-by-side ATV that makes approximately 100 horsepower thanks to a BMW R1200GS motor. Additionally, the six-wheeled ATV sits on a rocker-style suspension system, while the rear four wheels are driven.
The extreme-terrain vehicle utilizes this specific suspension system while also incorporating in-wheel motors and Ferox’s exclusive fluid drivetrain.
The Azaris is designed with the R1200GS motor mounted backwards in the frame, while the shaft drive unit remains undamaged. Where a wheel would normally be mounted is instead a pump unit, this way the motorcycle motor solely drives that pump.
The pump is linked with fluid piping and channeling, and runs through the swinging arms to the point where the rocker pivots, and is finally distributed to each wheel.
The wheel hubs force water through them, and rotate the outer housing; this is where the drive comes from. The low-pressure water feed leaves the wheel and goes back up toward the pump. Fluid controls allow the wheel to move forward or in reverse.
According to an interview with Ferox’s CEO Troy Wheeler and New Atlas, Wheeler says the system can handle high torques. The motors can handle up to 500 lb-ft per wheel if attached to a motor that can release that kind of torque. Additionally, the pump and motors operate at 98 percent efficiency without running high pressure or temperatures.
“Hydraulics have a bit of a bad name,” says Wheeler, “probably because of where they’ve ended up: high pressure, inefficient, hot, jerky … we use 95 percent water, with 5 percent of additives in there. It’s a completely different system and completely different pressures too. We’re talking 200-1,500 psi versus 3,000 to 15,000 psi.”
“The whole system is incredibly responsive – and that’s a big difference to traditional hydraulics. Usually they’re quite jerky. But our system has a high startup torque, similar to an electric motor. As you start to accelerate, the system immediately receives that and is able to respond, and smoothly accelerate with the engine.”
Wheeler says the main reason for a fluid drive system is to free the wheel and remove any restriction on where or what the wheel is driving. In order to establish this, the drivetrain has to be flexible and efficient.
“You can do that electrically,” says Wheeler, “or you can do it with fluids. I don’t know of any other method. Electrics have some issues, because of their native format, the weight that they are, and some other component elements. We think the path forward right now is with fluids. One of the advantages with fluids is that you can print the fluid channels within the chassis and the components that link the whole system together, if you’re doing 3D printing and things like that.”
Another thing going for this ATV is its lightweight appeal. The in-wheel motors weigh in at around 24 lbs., which compared to electric hub drives at 66 lbs. is light.
Wheeler says this can actually result in a responsive drivetrain with no lag, especially if designers put the valving and flow control components close to the wheels.
As of now, the Azaris prototype hasn’t been fully tested off-road, but the team has been driving it around a local quarry. They hope to test it on rough terrain in the next couple of months.
Wheeler considered selling a few of the Azaris as more of a collector’s piece or tinkering item.
“I have looked at building some, I’ve had some discussions. I would do a version two, maybe build 100 of them, where no two are finished the same in terms of color and trim,” says Wheeler. “We could sell them almost as a moving art piece, a collector’s item. It would come with some interesting elements of being able to test and play with the tech in that transaction.”
However, Wheeler hopes the Azaris can be used for more than tinkering with. He sees it having value in autonomous agricultural robots and military applications, where the fluid system could be used as a defense against electronic weapons.
“Things like fluidics – basically allow you to send computer style electronic message using fluids, so you don’t need an electrical system,” says Wheeler. “Defense likes them, because, for instance, if you get an EMP that blows out your electronics, you still have control functionality through fluid logic control. It’s not too relevant right now, but that’s tech that will be interesting to apply because of the fluid transmission system we’ll have in these vehicles.”
Wheeler and his team believe this technology will continue to evolve and pave the path for bigger and better things pertaining to the automotive industry.
