Patent ID: 8035270

Claim:
A wheel motor, comprising: a stator adapted to be coupled to a vehicle structure, the stator including a body portion and a core, said core extending radially outward from said body portion; a rotor disposed about said stator and having a portion positioned radially outboard of and around said stator core, said rotor portion having a plurality of magnets aligned with said stator core, and said rotor adapted to be coupled to a rotatable vehicle component so as to be rotatable relative to the stator; at least one winding element disposed circumferentially around said stator core; and a controller positioned in a pocket integrally formed in the body portion of said stator; said controller coupled to said at least one winding element and arranged to selectively provide a supply of current to said at least one winding element to generate a magnetic flux to rotate said rotor relative to said stator; wherein said stator core comprises a U-shaped stator core, said U-shaped stator core having axially inboard an outboard radial surfaces spaced apart from each other and connected by a radially outermost axial surface, and wherein the rotor portion comprises a corresponding U-shape configured so as to receive the U-shaped stator core substantially within the U-shape of the rotor portion, the rotor U-shape portion having axially inboard and outboard radial surfaces spaced apart from each other and connected by a radially outermost axial surface.