AZAK develops electrically driven wheel with motor elements

The AZAK S26 wheel on a small four-wheel UGV displayed at DSEI 2025. (Giles Ebbutt)

US technology firm AZAK has developed an electrically driven wheel that has application in the autonomous and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) space, and potentially in other markets.

Ben Meager, AZAK CEO and the wheel inventor, told Janes that each individual wheel contains “100% of everything needed to operate an electric vehicle”. This includes the motor, motor controller, gearbox, AZAK control system, battery management system, and battery.

Crucially, all these parts sit below the centre point of the wheel and remain there, providing a vehicle with a very low centre of gravity. Meager said that as a result a vehicle fitted with the wheels can cope with very difficult terrain, can climb objects twice the height of the vehicle, and can “tackle a gradient up to 137% with heavy payloads”.

The AZAK S26 wheel has a height of 26 inch, a width of 8 inch, a weight of 86 lb, and a top speed of 12 mph. It provides a torque of 147 lb ft, with a four-wheel vehicle offering 588 lb ft of torque. Meager said that as a result of the low centre of gravity and its torque the wheel applies power to the ground more directly, which increases acceleration and efficiency, “and it will still corner like a race car”. A four-wheel platform can carry a payload up to 4,000 lb (1,800 kg). Vehicle control can be wireless or via a tether, or can be autonomous. Already in limited use and gaining traction with the US military, the wheel was launched in Europe at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2025 exhibition in September.