There are a lot of obvious advantages to mounting electric motors on each wheel. Eliminates a lot of bearing, transmission and drive shaft issues which will save weight and wear. You get 4WD and without having to provide and anti-slip differential for free. On rough roads it probably save a lot in tire wear becauser the electronics can adjust torgue to maintain constant wheel RPM so you aren't accelerating the wheel rotational velocity every time you go over a bump, which then results in wear on the tire when it makes contact again with the road.
The real negative is the extent to which extra weight in the wheel assembly affects the amount of time the wheel is in contact with the ground on a bumpy road. Apparently that is not a big effect.
“The real negative is the extent to which extra weight in the wheel assembly affects the amount of time the wheel is in contact with the ground on a bumpy road. “
How about electric motors being subject to continuous vibration and shock loads same as the hub, wheel bearings... etc.
I want to see the durability testing results on this nonsense.