What Is a 500w Geared Hub Motor?

Understanding wheel hub motor

Wheel hub motors are gradually becoming the standard method of driving electric bicycles, scooters, solar-powered cars, and many other light electric vehicles. Through wheel hub motor conversion, there is no need for external mounting brackets and drive chains to support the motor and transmission. Instead, all of these are contained within the wheel mounted on the bike, just like any other wheel. There are two basic types of wheel hub motors: direct drive and geared drive. Direct drive wheel hub motors are very simple. Imagine using an electric motor, but holding onto the shaft and spinning the body of the motor. Now attach the bike wheel hub to this rotating motor body, and that's it, there are no active components other than the wheel itself.

Electric motors have maximum torque at startup, making them the ideal choice for vehicles as they also require maximum torque at startup. The common idea of "acceleration" in internal combustion engines is unnecessary for electric motors. Their maximum torque occurs when the rotor begins to rotate, which is why electric motors do not require a gearbox. A reduction device may be required, but unlike the gearbox usually paired with an internal combustion engine, the electric motor does not need to shift gears. In some parts of the world, particularly in Asia, wheel hub motors are becoming increasingly common on electric bicycles and electric scooters.

Introduction to 500W geared hub motor

As you can imagine, a 500W geared hub motor has gears inside that can reduce the high speed of the efficient motor to the low speed of the wheel. From the outside, the radius of a 500W geared hub motor is usually smaller but wider than a direct drive hub. Internally, they can take various forms, but the most common is that they have an outer rotor motor that drives a center-mounted planetary gear set connected to the rotor.

The concept of a 500W geared hub motor leverages the weight advantage of a transmission device and encapsulates it in a simple and easy-to-install wheel hub motor. These are typically about 50% lighter than a direct drive machine with the same power, and they typically have excellent torque output. Almost all 500W geared hub motors on the market have a flywheel inside. This means that when you are not using the motor, there is almost no rolling friction to spin the wheel, but it eliminates the possibility of regenerative braking.

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