WaveCrest Laboratories LLC (Sterling, VA) introduced an electric motor that would use software to control automobiles similar to the computer systems that guide jet fighters. The motors produced by WaveCrest would be embedded in wheel assemblies and eliminate the need for transmissions, drive trains, radiators and other engine components found in automobiles.
The Wavecrest adaptive motors can run on a variety of fuels, including gasoline, diesel and alcohol. The fuel runs the engine, which charges the battery that powers the motor, which produces the electricity to turn the wheels. Putting the motors in the wheels eliminates the need for a drive train to transfer power from an engine under the hood to the wheels. In the process, radiators and transmissions also could be eliminated. The motor gets the equivalent of 100mpg for an average car, and the price of the automobiles eventually would be lower than current models because so many engine components would be eliminated.
"You change the world in small steps," said retired General Wesley Clark, former NATO commander and chairman of WaveCrest Laboratories. "This promises to be a slightly larger step."
