Hub Motors are not new!!!
Around the turn of the century (1902) Ferdinand Porsche at age 27 working for Lohner developed hub motors which initially ran on lead acid batteries and soon after had a petrol generator to charge the batteries: the first Hybrid vehicles!!!
Yes the same Mr Porsche who founded the famous car company.

Apparently there were alot of companies around this time or slightly later who were building electric powered vehicles, it seems that before the internal combustion engine took off there was for some time the possibility that electric vehicles would be the way to go. How different history would be if the electric vehicle had succeeded.

Below is a collage of Porsche designed vehicles from this era (early 1900's), if you look closely you will see the hub motors in the wheels.

The picture below is a Lohner/Porsche vehicle in Vienna Museum, the front hub motors are clearly visible.