Wheel-drive assembly

A method for enabling transfer of propelling torque from a motion actuator of a vehicle, having an output shaft, to a wheel of the vehicle, using a drive shaft, the method comprising:

• fastening an outer CV joint of the drive shaft to an outer side of the wheel-hub;
• connecting an inner CV joint of the drive shaft to the output shaft of the motion actuator;
• and
• mounting a wheel on the wheel hub,
• wherein, following the fastening, an outermost surface of the CV joint is disposed outwardly of an outermost surface of the wheel hub,
• wherein at least one condition selected from the group consisting of a first condition, a second condition, and a third condition is true, and wherein:
• I. according to the first condition, the mounting of the wheel on the wheel hub occurs prior to the fastening of the outer CV joint;
• II. according to the second condition, the method further comprises, prior to the fastening, inserting the outer CV joint into the wheel hub from an exterior side of the wheel hub;
• and
• III. according to the third condition, the wheel comprises a tire mounted onto a tire rim, and the mounting of the wheel on the wheel hub comprises fastening the tire rim to the wheel-hub such that the outermost surface of the outer CV joint extends outwardly of the majority of the tire rim.

A wheel drive assembly for transferring propelling torque from a source shaft to a wheel, the source shaft receiving torque from a motion actuator, the wheel drive assembly comprising:

• a) a wheel-hub having wheel hub bearings and adapted to have the wheel mounted thereon;
• b) a drive axle;
• and
• c) a constant velocity (CV) joint mounted onto an outer end of the drive axle, the CV joint connecting the drive axle to the wheel-hub, the CV joint comprising:
• a housing;
• and
• CV joint bearings, accommodated within the housing,
• wherein the CV joint bearings are disposed outwardly of the wheel hub bearings, along the longitudinal axis of the wheel-hub, such that there is no vertical overlap between the CV joint bearings and the wheel hub bearings.