CREDIT: ELAPHE
Elaphe, a developer of in-wheel motor technology and wheel control, has announced its high-performance in-wheel system product platform, the Sonic X.
Following the front in-wheel motor Sonic.1 unveiled six months ago at CES 2025, the Sonic X represents a new performance product platform for hybrid and electric vehicle architectures, delivering massive performance upgrades for new and existing vehicles. It offers direct-drive power density in a lightweight package, advanced control capabilities, and direct compatibility with high-performance brakes and existing high-end car architectures.
Sonic X drive technology is designed to add 300+ kW of power per wheel with minimal increase in weight, regardless of the vehicle powertrain base. The Sonic X platform is compatible with standard high-performance brakes, enabling the integration of large brake discs fitting into 20" to 23" rims, making it ideal for boosting the front or rear wheel torque of high-performance vehicles where space and weight are critical factors.
The integration of the Sonic X in-wheel systems directly into the wheel not only optimizes vehicle space and weight but also contributes to a more controllable wheel. Elaphe direct-drive solutions deliver 20x faster wheel control than conventional e-drives, which enables a new level of traction control and lateral dynamics, resulting in 15% performance improvement and faster cornering. Sonic X samples will be available to automakers in the first quarter of 2026.
Sonic X: High-performance in-wheel platform with gearless torque delivery and high-speed wheel control
- In-wheel systems built on Sonic X performance product platform consist of direct-drive in-wheel motors (without transmission), power electronics and embedded proprietary high-speed control software, which controls powertrain and vehicle dynamics functions.
- Torque and power dense in-wheel motors scalable across 20" to 23" wheel sizes
- Onboard high power SiC inverter in dual or single unit packaging with minimal volume (16L)
- Proprietary Elaphe high-speed control software embedded on the inverter, providing electric motor control, wheel slip control, and vehicle dynamics functions (brake blending and optional torque vectoring). In case of integration with driven axle in a hybrid vehicle the software also provides mechanical differential control.
Key features of the Sonic X-based in-wheel systems:
- Lightweight performance design: Direct-drive power density with more than 8kW/kg continuous power density and 80Nm/kg torque density.
- Track-worthy braking function: Integrates large friction brake discs (350mm to 420mm). Utilizes high-power brake blending to ensure high-performance braking function, reduced brake temperatures, and shorter stopping distances compared to only friction brake.
- High-speed traction control: Advanced Elaphe Slip Control delivers 15% increase in acceleration and deceleration and 5% faster cornering speeds.
- Easy integration: Fits all existing vehicle architectures (400V or 800V), from ICE to full BEV as a performance boost or possible to customize for main drive. Compatible with standard performance wheel components and suspension geometries.
- Minimal space onboard: Ideal for high-performance vehicles with limited space, for front or rear wheels. Delivers the power of high-performance dual e-axle with only 10% of the footprint.
- Elaphe Vibroacoustics: Proprietary functionality which controls the authentic sound and vibration of in-wheel motors. Can be tuned to completely silent and smooth or amplified for enhanced feedback and driving experience.
- Scalable technology: Supports axle peak power up to 1MW in rear-wheel-drive with up to 9000Nm of peak torque per axle. Wheel sizes ranging from 20" to 23" wheels.
- Design freedom: Enables new design opportunities by removing 100L of components from onboard the vehicle, from improved aerodynamics to component placement and styling.