4 Wheels steering system for electric cars

On 5 August 1888, Bertha Benz ( Cäcilie Bertha Ringer ) was the first person to drive an internal-combustion-engined automobile over a long distance, field testing the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, inventing brake lining and solving several practical issues during the journey of 105 km (65 miles).

The Benz Patent-Motorwagen was a three-wheler and there was a single wheel in front and a tiller to steer the vehicle. Believe it or not, the very first cars that were made weren’t driven with a steering wheel, but rather with something called a “tiller. 1894, Alfred Vacheron took part in the Paris–Rouen race with a Panhard 4 hp model which he had fitted with a steering wheel

 From 1898, the Panhard et Levassor cars were equipped as standard with steering wheels. Charles Rolls introduced the first car in Britain fitted with a steering wheel when he imported a 6 hp Panhard from France in 1898. Arthur Constantin Krebs replaced the tiller with an inclined steering wheel for the Panhard car he designed for the 1898 Paris–Amsterdam–Paris race which ran 7–13 July 1898.

 Hemmings Motor News reports that in the 1930s, BMW produced the first rack and pinion gearbox. The first American automotive manufacturer to use rack and pinion steering in production was Ford, which used it for the 1974 Mustang II and the 1974 Pinto

 What finally brought power steering into explosive existence was World War II. The military wanted easily controllable war machines and, in 1940, started fitting power steering systems in Chevrolet vehicles armored for the British Army. Approximately 10,000 vehicles would go on to receive similar treatment by the end of the war, and auto manufacturers began to develop power steering technologies after

 Power steering gives the driver an easier means by which the steering of a car can be accomplished. Power steering systems use a hydraulic cylinder to help move the rack, and the cylinder is actuated by input from the steering wheel. Early power steering systems suffered from over sensitivity at high speeds, and in the 1980s manufacturers developed electronic control systems that limited power assist as the vehicle’s speed increased.

Many modern cars use rack and pinion steering mechanisms, where the steering wheel turns the pinion gear; the pinion moves the rack, which is a linear gear that meshes with the pinion, converting circular motion into linear motion along the transverse axis of the car (side to side motion).

Power rack and pinion steering assemblies are hydraulic/ mechanical unit with an integral piston and rack assembly. An internal rotary valve directs power steering fluid flow and controls pressure to reduce steering effort. The rack and pinion is used to steer the car in the event of power steering failure, or if the engine (which drives the pump) stalls. However for the last 2 decades electrical systems are steadily replacing hydraulic system technology.

Electric cars tend to have one or two centrally mounted motors, driving the wheels through conventional drive shafts. It is also possible each wheel to have an engine, however there are pros and cons to having a motor per wheel, or even built-in to the wheel itself.

Some Nice Cars Have Had 4-Wheel Steering Systems

• GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
• Ford F-150 Platinum ZF
• Nissan 300ZX
• Subaru SVX
• Infinit Q45
• Honda Prelude
• Dodge Stealth/Mitsubishi 3000GT
• BMW 850 CSi
• Nissan Skyline GT-R
• Porsche 911 GT3
• Porsche Taycan
• Lamborghini Urus
• Ferrari F12TDF

Advantages of Four-Wheel Steering

Better Steering Response

Cornering Stability

Smaller Turning Radius

Easy Lane Changing

If you’re traveling fast on the interstate and you need to change lanes quickly, you can easily do so with a four-wheel steering vehicle without having to turn the steering wheel too much.

Disadvantages of Four-Wheel Steering

Expensive ( Not anymore )

Frequent faults ( Not anymore )

Due to the fact that four-wheel steering systems have many components, the entire system could become inoperable if just one of these components malfunctions.

Steering system for electric cars

 Electric cars can’t be designed to have hydraulic/ mechanical power steering, but electric power assist makes more sense. But as the technology has already evolved—imagine robots welding on a million-euro car chassis or body—it’s actually possible today to steer a car just steer-by-wire system. There is no need for rack and pinion at all, with no need for any direct mechanical connection to the wheels. However, some countries have regulations that require the steering system (front) to be locked as an anti-theft system when a passenger car is parked and the ignition key is removed.

How about 4-wheel drive for small electric cars?

A 4 wheeler with 4 wheels steering can turn almost half the radius of a front wheel drive car can make a full turn. Also, when it comes to corners, a 4-wheel steering car can turn almost tangentially to the bend.

The good thing is , with the new technology, it is not so difficult to design a 4-wheel steering car because no need for a complicated mechanical and electrical mix hybrid system but only electrical , and we do not expect big faults like some cars had in the past

Below is a mock-up model car, showing how close to the corner turning is possible, also very short turn radius. That would be a good advantage to drive such a practical car.