Electric motor and gear drive assembly for driving a vehicle wheel

1. A drive unit assembly for a vehicle wheel comprising:

a gear drive comprising an epicycloid gear reduction that defines a gear drive axis, said gear drive having at least a first gear component and a second gear component, said second gear component being driven by said first gear component and being attachable to a wheel to drive the wheel about an axis of rotation;

an electric motor including a motor output shaft that is non-concentric with said gear drive axis and is coaxial with the axis of rotation wherein said motor output shaft is operably coupled to said gear drive to provide a driving input to the wheel, and wherein said motor output shaft rotates at a first rotational speed and the wheel rotates at a second rotational speed less than said first rotational speed;

said first gear component comprising a non-rotating ring gear and said second gear component comprising a drive gear that defines said gear drive axis and is in driving engagement with said ring gear, said drive gear operably coupled to said motor output shaft to receive driving input and operably coupled to the wheel to provide driving output; and

a chain and sprocket drive interconnecting said motor output shaft and said drive gear.

2. The assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein a rotational speed reduction between said first rotational speed and said second rotational speed is a ratio of at least twenty to one.

3. The assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said electric motor includes a motor casing rigidly mountable to a vehicle suspension.

4. A drive unit assembly for driving at least two laterally spaced wheels on opposing sides of a vehicle comprising:

a first gear drive defining a first gear drive axis and having at least a first gear component and a second gear component, said second gear component in driving engagement with said first gear component and operably engageable with a first wheel to drive the first wheel about a lateral axis of rotation;

a second gear drive defining a second gear drive axis and having at least a third gear component and a fourth gear component, said fourth gear component in driving engagement with said third gear component and operably engageable with a second wheel to drive the second wheel about the lateral axis of rotation; and

at least one electric motor output having a motor output that is non-concentric with said first and second gear drive axes and that is coaxial with the lateral axis of rotation wherein said motor output is operably coupled to said first and second gear drives to provide a driving input to the first and second wheels.

5. The assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said at least one electric motor comprises a single electric motor for driving both the first and second wheels, said single electric motor including a first motor output shaft that is non-concentric with said first gear drive axis and a second motor output shaft that is non-concentric with said second gear drive axis, said first motor output shaft in driving engagement with said first gear component and said second motor output shaft in driving engagement with said third gear component.

6. The assembly as set forth in claim 4 including at least one suspension component mountable to a non-rotating vehicle structure wherein said electric motor is rigidly mounted to said suspension component.

7. The assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said motor output of said electric motor comprises first and second motor output shafts each being coaxial with the lateral axis of rotation for rotating at a first rotational speed and wherein the first and second wheels rotate at a second rotational speed that is less than said first rotational speed.

8. The assembly as set forth in claim 7 wherein said first and second gear drives each comprise an epicycloid gear reduction with said first and third gear components each comprising a non-rotating ring gear and said second and fourth gear components each comprising a drive gear that defines said first and said second gear drive axes, respectively, said drive gear being in driving engagement with said ring gear, and said drive gear being operably coupled to said motor output via a chain and sprocket assembly to receive driving input and operably coupled to the respective first or second wheel to provide driving output.