Wheel of Fortune: How Porsche's Invention Is Changing Electric Cars

There are two undeniable truths in this world: coffee wakes you up, and electric cars are getting smarter. But few people know that one of the boldest engineering ideas of the 21st century is actually over a hundred years old. At the World’s Fair in Paris in 1900, a young engineer named Ferdinand Porsche unveiled an electric car with a design that still looks futuristic today.

Instead of the traditional bulky engine under the hood, his car hid a small electric motor inside each wheel. In this way, Porsche was the first to come up with what Tesla and other startups now call a “revolutionary breakthrough.” The wheel hub motor allowed for independent control of each wheel’s power—no need for drive shafts, gearboxes, or other magical relics from the past.

Back then, at the dawn of the 20th century, the public was stunned: “What, the engine is right in the wheel? Won’t it fall apart at the first bump?” But a hundred years later, the world realized that Porsche was not only a master of racing, but also a visionary. Today, engineers are once again turning to the wheel hub motor, admiring the elegance and efficiency of this solution.

Perhaps someday in the future, schoolchildren will write on their physics exams: “The engine in the wheel was invented by Porsche because he liked to think outside the box—and now electric cars don’t just drive, they soar!”