pic: DeWalt Gearbox with two CIMs

[Jeff Pahl]

This is still a conceptual design at this point. We have not run the calculations yet to determine if the Dewalt transmission is going to hold up to this kind of abuse. The idea is to see if we can come up with a two-motor, shift-on-the-fly drivetrain this year. Matt decided to try this approach since we have some extra Dewalt parts left over from a couple of years ago, so the cost to experiment is low.

Dave- it absolutely will be a torque tube design for the power transfer to the wheels, with an aluminum tube. Once we have the torque calculations we will decide just how light the tube can be. (He's working with a bunch of mentors that design spaceflight hardware, the first question is always "so just how much does that weigh?" )