For years, automotive visionaries have promised that in-wheel motors would completely revolutionize how we design and build electric vehicles. The concept makes perfect sense on paper: place the power directly where the rubber meets the road, clear out the engine bay, and maximize space. Yet, traditional “hub” motors have consistently hit a wall known as unsprung mass—the heavy weight of the motor sitting directly inside the wheel compromises handling and punishes a vehicle’s suspension.
At CES 2026, ViodiTV caught up with Michal Simko, founder of s-Drive, to explore a prototype that might finally crack this engineering bottleneck. As it turns out, the secret to building a better hub motor is simple: remove the hub entirely.
Flipping the Architecture Inside Out #
“We don’t have a hub,” Simko explains right off the bat, gently correcting the common industry terminology.
Traditional hub motor designs pack dense structural metal and steel into the very center of the wheel assembly to handle high rotational torque. By removing this central core and rearranging the internal components, s-Drive has shed a massive amount of dead weight. The result is a hubless, direct-drive motor integrated neatly between the wheel rim and the tire.
The entire assembly weighs just 60 kg (roughly 132 lbs). While that sounds heavy compared to a compact sedan’s bare aluminum rim, it is remarkably light for what it represents: a heavy-duty wheel assembly that doubles as a self-contained propulsion system.
By utilizing axial flux motor technology, s-Drive has downsized the powertrain to its essentials. They have eliminated components that consume vast amounts of space and weight in standard electric vehicles:
- Differentials
- Gearboxes and their heavy lubrication systems
- Bulky external cooling setups
Simko notes that this radical reduction in parts gives their system an incredible 300% improvement in power-to-weight ratio compared to the powertrains found in major luxury and EV brands like Porsche or Tesla. Furthermore, because the high-torque motors are capable of handling massive regenerative braking loads, conventional frictional brakes can be downsized dramatically. s-Drive has developed a proprietary braking system that is 50% to 80% lighter than standard car brakes, keeping the total unsprung mass safely within standard heavy-duty suspension parameters.
The Domino Effect of Design Freedom #
Migrating the entire drivetrain out to the four corners of a vehicle unlocks immense design flexibility. Without an “engine bay” or central axle constraints, car designers are handed a blank slate.
From a safety perspective, clearing out the traditional engine compartment allows manufacturers to significantly expand front crumple zones. It also opens the door to independent four-wheel torque vectoring for advanced anti-slip stability and all-wheel steering capabilities, like “crab walking” for effortlessly sliding into tight parking spaces.
But Simko emphasizes that the real magic is the economic domino effect of this weight and space savings:
“It brings a long chain of advantages. It’s not just about saving, let’s say, 100 kg per vehicle, but it brings new opportunities… Our aim is to make cars smaller, more agile, lighter, using less materials, and less expensive. Ultimately, the cost drives down.”
When a vehicle is inherently lighter and more aerodynamic, it requires fewer battery cells to achieve the same driving range. A smaller battery pack translates directly to a massive drop in production costs, consumer pricing, and the raw materials required from the global supply chain.
From Tier-1 Hypercars to the Las Vegas Strip #
Simko’s disruptive approach to vehicle architecture isn’t just academic theory; it is backed by twelve years of elite automotive consulting. His resume reads like a checklist of modern automotive innovation, having worked as a concept engineer and consultant for the likes of McLaren, Aston Martin, Rivian, Zoox, Nio, and Jaguar Land Rover.
Notably, Simko contributed to the engineering development of the Zoox autonomous passenger “pods” that are currently navigating the roads of the Las Vegas Strip. It is this deep foundational knowledge of both traditional hypercars and cutting-edge autonomous platforms that guided the creation of s-Drive.
The Road to Production #
Despite having a highly viable prototype on hand at CES 2026, s-Drive has no intentions of becoming a mass-market car manufacturer or building its own sprawling gigafactories.
Instead, the company is positioning itself as a pure technology partner. “Our aim is to work with multiple car manufacturers that already have established manufacturing facilities,” says Simko, pointing toward future licensing agreements or joint ventures with major tier-1 suppliers and established OEMs like Tesla or BMW.
As for when we will see this hubless technology out on the open pavement? The timeline is moving quickly. Simko expects a functional, engineering-grade test vehicle to be driving around by the end of this year.
While the exact prototype shown at CES may undergo minor dimensional tweaks before hitting the market, the underlying architecture is fully production-feasible. If s-Drive succeeds in its partnership strategy, the future of electric mobility may just change the world—one hubless wheel at a time.
Due to poor audio quality on the busy CES show floor, the complete interview with Simko could not be published. The quotations are from the unpublished part of the above interview.
[Note: the above text was directed and edited by the author, but written by Google’s Gemini].
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