Technically, electric cars don’t have engines; they have motors. As much as we hear motor and engine used interchangeably, they are not the same. For example, engines are under the hood of just about every car on the road. They use a fuel, like gasoline or diesel, that combusts to perform work. Motors are used in electric cars, power drills, R/C cars, etc., and use electrical energy (supplied by a battery) to perform work. There are multiple types of electric motors.
We’ll take a quick look at the Tesla roadster, seeing as it’s currently the sole electric-only car available in the U.S. Powering the Tesla is a large electric motor, which is in turn powered by a 375-volt battery.
Tesla’s electric motor makes 185kw, which is the equivalent of roughly 250 hp. By comparison, Toyota’s Prius gasoline/electric hybrid uses a motor that makes 50kw, around 67 horsepower.
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Hello,
where could you see the spec sheet on this electric motor?
I am looking to remove my Twin-Cam Lotus Europa and put in an electric motor. Thanks - Scott
Where would one go to buy a n induction motor only??
I want to know that how the electric engine works in an electric vehicles "Technically"
Go to the future engine...
The battery supplies DC voltage to the inverter that can generate three phase, variable voltage, variable frequency AC output to the motor. Both induction and permanent magnet motors can use this AC voltage to produce torque. The accelerator pedal operates a transducer that is connected to the inverter, telling it to change the AC voltage. During braking or downhill movement the motor will act as a generator and a clever inverter can transfer the energy generated by motor back to the battery. The control algorithms are implemented by using a DSP controller. This is somewhat simplified description but it gives the picture.
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Tesla motor's electric motor is an induction motor, which is different from the ones used for the Priusd. i believe the pPrius uses an interior permanent magnet motor, which is a synchronous motor. Induction motor is asynchronous, which means it runs at a slip, or a speed a few RPM's slower than the synrchronous speed. The main difference to Tesla is that it is a lot cheaper because magnets are expensive. The motor is driven by an electronic drive, it ssynthesizes the AC current feeding the motor so that the frequency, or the synchronous speed is variable, and this is where their speed variation capability originates. The motor is also made with a copper rotor, which makes the motor more efficient, copper resistivity is less than that of aluminum.