Is this a good idea?
Folks,
This is just an idea that has come to mind, and I wondered what the professionals thought! Feel free to tell me why it wouldn't be practical!
On commercial jets, each touchdown leads to smoking tires at the point of runway contact. Presumably, this is because the tires aren't rotating just as they come into contact with the tarmac.
Proposal: Each wheel to be fitted with a small hub motor. This motor would spin the wheel up to landing speed in the final approach. On landing, the wheel is spinning at the correct speed, and contact wear is reduced, thus improving tire life. Then, the motor becomes a generator, and is used for regenerative braking. So we also save on brake wear.
Modern electric motors are compact and light, and regen braking is popular in many other vehicles.
Any comments??