Looking like it rolled off a science fiction movie
set is the Ferox Azaris six-wheeler which comes with a BMW Motorrad R1200 boxer
engine and fluid drive. Taking a side-by-side all terrain vehicle (ATV) as a
basis, the Azaris uses in-wheel motors to drive the four rear wheels, with a
claimed 98% efficiency.
Designed as a technology demonstrator, the Azaris
focuses on the rear suspension which uses a pair of rocker arms that isolate
the chassis from excessive movement. The 125 hp two-cylinder boxer mill used in
BMW Motorrad’s R-series motorcycles is located back-to-front in the rear of the
Azaris and dedicated to running a hydraulic pump.
The pressurised fluid comprising of 95% water with
the balance being additives is then fed through 3D printed channels in the
suspension rocker arms to the in-wheel motors. With the wheels mounted directly
to the four motors, Ferox says the Azaris will handle some 678 Nm of torque per
wheel and there are bigger motors which are capable of delivering 1,152 Nm,
reports website Newatlas.com.
Tony Wheeler, chief executive officer of Perth,
Australia based Ferox, says fluid drive offers a weight savings over electric
hub drives, with the equivalent electric motor weighing 30 kg to the Azaris’ 11
kg in-wheel motor. Wheeler also says drive for the pump in the Azaris
can be electrically driven instead of using an internal combustion engine and
an electric motor would better complement the fluid drive system. Since fluids
have a natural tendency to self balance, a differential is not necessary in the
Azaris.
Plans for the fluid drive technology developed by
Ferox are not limited to recreational off-road use but rather in autonomous
agricultural robots, modular heavy vehicle and cargo haulers. Also in the list
of future plans is military use where the fluid transmission is impervious to
electronic jamming and EMP.
Although the Azaris has not been fully-tested in an
off-road environment as yet, the prototype six-wheeler has moved under its own
power on tarmac with proper rough surface testing to begin in 2019, along with
the promise of video. There are currently no plans to bring the Forex Azaris to
the market despite enquiries but Wheeler did not rule out making a limited run
of Azaris as a rolling piece of art in unique colours and trim.
