Radial gap wheel motor supported on hub bearings in a parallel arrangement

1 . A wheel assembly for a vehicle comprising:

a rotor housing adapted to be supported on wheel bearings of the vehicle, said rotor housing having a support structure connected to a rotor, the support structure having a wheel rim, the rotor having permanent magnets therein, wherein the support structure of said rotor housing is affixed to a wheel hub;

a stator support structure adapted to be affixed to a non-rotatable portion of the vehicle, said stator support structure having windings therein, the windings being spaced from the permanent magnets of the rotor housing by an air gap, wherein the rotor is positioned radially inwardly of the windings, said stator support adapted to be affixed to a steering knuckle of the vehicle; and

an energy storage module affixed to or positioned within said stator support structure and entirely within the wheel assembly, said energy storage module cooperative with the windings of said stator support structure so as to receive energy from the windings and transmit energy to the windings relative to a motion of the vehicle.

2 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

a tire affixed to the wheel rim of said rotor housing.

3 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , said energy storage module having a housing affixed only to said stator support structure.

4 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , said energy storage module having a energy storage element selected from the group consisting of capacitors, ultra-capacitors, chemical batteries, solid-state batteries and combinations thereof.

5 . The wheel assembly of claim 1 , wherein the air gap is concentric to an axis of rotation of said rotor housing.

6 . An assembly comprising:

a vehicle having a plurality of wheel stations, each wheel station of the plurality of wheel stations having a wheel hub and wheel bearings and wheel bolts, the wheel hub being connected to a hub shaft, the plurality of wheel stations having at least one steering wheel station, the at least one steering wheel station having a steering knuckle; and

a wheel assembly affixed to at least one of the plurality of wheel stations, said wheel assembly being affixed to the wheel hub and bolted to the wheel bolts, said wheel assembly comprising:

a rotor housing supported on the wheel bearings of said vehicle, said rotor housing having a support structure connected to a rotor, the support structure defining a wheel rim, wherein the rotor has permanent magnets therein, wherein the support structure of said rotor housing is affixed to the wheel hub;

a stator support structure affixed to a non-rotatable portion of said vehicle, said stator support structure having windings therein, the windings being spaced from the permanent magnets of the rotor by an air gap, wherein the rotor is positioned radially inward of the windings, said stator support structure being affixed to the steering knuckle; and

an energy storage module affixed within said stator support structure and entirely with said wheel assembly, said energy storage module cooperative with permanent magnets and the winding so as to receive and transmit energy from and to the permanent magnets and the windings.

7 . The assembly of claim 6 , further comprising:

a tire affixed to the wheel rim of said rotor housing.

8 . The assembly of claim 6 , said energy storage module having a housing affixed to said stator support housing.

9 . The assembly of claim 8 , said energy storage module having an energy storage element selected from the group consisting of capacitors, ultra-capacitors, chemical batteries, solid-state batteries and combinations thereof.

10 . The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the air gap is concentric to the axis of rotation of the wheel hub.