Patent ID: RE43232

Claim:
An electrically powered vehicle comprising a wheel, said wheel comprising: an axle; a cylindrical stator frame fixed on the axle, an inner surface of the stator frame defining a space for housing a power supply; a plurality of electromagnet stator segments mounted on and distributed about an outer surface of the stator frame, wherein said stator frame is non-magnetic and said electromagnet stator segments are ferromagnetically isolated from each other; a cylindrical rotor frame coupled to the axle through bearings, an inner surface of the rotor frame supporting a plurality of permanent magnets distributed to surround the stator segments to form a radial air gap therebetween; and a tire mounted to an outer surface of the rotor frame, wherein the space in the cylindrical stator frame for housing the power supply is bounded in the radial direction by the axle and the inner surface of the stator frame and is bounded in the axial direction by a partition plate extending between the axle and the stator frame; wherein the space in the cylindrical stator frame for housing the power supply is bounded in the radial direction by the axle and the inner surface of the stator frame and is bounded in the axial direction by a partition plate extending between the axle and the stator frame.