Why not develop an axel with an integrated motor? It’d be easily scaled to any vehicle with a solid rear axle. Fill the engine bay with batteries… It seems like an easy approach to get a widely applicable EV conversion kit. Offer a few widths and diameter axles… Is it bad to have the motor in an unsprung position?I see hub motors, so I think not. I guess air conditioning would be another thing.
It’s been done. Not the best solution, but not a terrible idea, either. Airstream introduced a prototype electric model with powered axels, offset the energy needed to pull the trailer, added the ability to regen, and added the ability to self-park into an RV slot.