Patent ID: 7527113

Claim:
A hub drive system for a vehicle, comprising: a) a tubular housing suspended by the vehicle and having an inboard and an outboard end; b) a wheel hub rotationally mounted on the outboard end of the housing; c) an electric motor disposed in the inboard end of the housing; d) a planetary gearbox, disposed in the outboard end of the housing and driven by the motor through a hollow primary shaft; e) an output flange of the gearbox operatively connected to the hub; f) a casing for the motor; g) a stator in the casing; h) a hollow rotor rotationally mounted in the casing and operatively connected to the primary shaft of the gearbox; i) a gallery defined between the housing and casing and into which a lubricant for the gearbox is injectable under pressure to cool the motor; j) a passage in the casing to deliver lubricant still under pressure from said gallery to said hollow rotor to further cool the motor; and k) said rotor being arranged to deliver said lubricant still under pressure to the primary shaft to lubricate the gearbox, wherein a space between the rotor and stator is free of said lubricant.