View source for Engineering:Dual-motor, four-wheel-drive layout

{{short description|Car layout in automotive design}}
[[File:Electric_car_diagram.svg|thumb|Typical dual motor layout]]
In [[Engineering:Automotive design|automotive design]], '''dual-motor, four-wheel-drive layout''' is mainly used by battery electric vehicles by placing electric motors on both front and rear [[Engineering:Axle|axles]] and drives all four roadwheels, creating a [[Engineering:Four-wheel drive|four-wheel drive]] layout. This [[Engineering:Car layout|layout]] is made possible by the small size of electric motors compared to internal combustion engines, allowing it to be placed in multiple locations. It also eliminates the need of a [[Engineering:Drive shaft|drive shaft]] that are commonly used by conventional four-wheel drive vehicles to create space for [[Engineering:Electric vehicle battery|batteries]] that are commonly mounted on the floor of electric vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Park |first=Jim |title=Dumping the Driveshaft on Electric Vehicles |url=https://www.truckinginfo.com/323115/dumping-the-driveshaft-on-electric-vehicles |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=www.truckinginfo.com}}</ref>

The layout is also beneficial to distribute available electrical horsepower to maximize torque and power in response to road grip conditions and [[Engineering:Weight transfer|weight transfer]] in the vehicle. For example, during hard acceleration, the front motor must reduce [[Physics:Torque|torque]] and power in order to prevent the front wheels from spinning as weight transfers to the rear of the vehicle. The excess power is transferred to the rear motor where it can be used immediately. The opposite applies when braking, when the front motor can accept more [[Engineering:Regenerative braking|regenerative braking]] torque and power.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-21 |title=Tesla All Wheel Drive (Dual Motor) Power and Torque Specifications |url=https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-all-wheel-drive-dual-motor-power-and-torque-specifications |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=www.tesla.com |language=en-us}}</ref> However dual motors usually have less range.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramos |first=Alex |date=2022-12-31 |title=Dual-Motor EVs vs. Single-Motor EVs: Which Is Best? |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/dual-motor-vs-single-motor-evs/ |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=MUO |language=en}}</ref>

In addition, electric vehicles may be equipped with more than two electric motors to achieve greater power output and superior handling. The first mass-produced triple-motor layout was introduced on the [[Engineering:Audi e-tron (2018)|Audi e-tron]] in 2020, which consists of one motor at the front and two motors at the rear.<ref>{{Cite web |last=tsport100 |date=2020-03-02 |title=Audi Claim World First with Mass Production Three Motor EV Powertrain |url=https://leccar.com/audi-claim-world-first-with-mass-production-three-motor-ev-powertrain/ |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=leccar |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Kane |first=Sean |date=2020-02-28 |title=Audi announces three-motor performance versions of the E-Tron |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/28/21158139/audi-etron-s-sportback-triple-motor-performance-electric-geneva-motor-show |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=The Verge |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
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[[Category:Four-wheel drive layout]]
[[Category:Electric vehicle technologies]]

{{Sourceattribution|Dual-motor, four-wheel-drive layout}}