The roadster has a single speed transmission that connects the axels to the wheels. It would be unwise to connect a motor directly to the wheel. The axles are basically the same as with the Prius or any other car for that matter with wheel bearings and CV joints.
For all the parts that are removed there are a couple added, in the recombinant braking system, power control systems and programmable suspension.
The grease in the sealed bearings will break down at some point. A spinning motor especially one in a magnetic field has a very low tolerance for vibration and balance. There is also a great deal of heat generated at high torque. I hear the S is going to have liquid cooling. So there is another system that will need to be addressed.
I would hardly call a Tesla a simple design. Its in fact very complex.
For all the parts that are removed there are a couple added, in the recombinant braking system, power control systems and programmable suspension.
The grease in the sealed bearings will break down at some point. A spinning motor especially one in a magnetic field has a very low tolerance for vibration and balance. There is also a great deal of heat generated at high torque. I hear the S is going to have liquid cooling. So there is another system that will need to be addressed.
I would hardly call a Tesla a simple design. Its in fact very complex.