Automotive motors are a key component of a vehicle's powertrain, as they allow a vehicle to move both forwards and backward. While a great deal of research has gone into the efficiency of motors and how they work, much less research has gone into their design and function. As of late, a wide array of automotive motors have become available or possibly already available for vehicles. Some of these include brushless DC electric motors (BL motor or BLDC motor), brushed motors, and stepper motors.
Brushless DC motors are widely used in electric vehicles due to their traction characteristics, such as high starting torque, and high efficiency of around 95-98%. Moreover, automotive motors are suitable for high power density design approaches. At present, automotive motors, such as switched reluctance motors, permanent magnet synchronous motors, brushless DC motors, AC induction motors, and brushed DC motors, are being widely used for electric vehicles. Thus, with the increasing demand for electric vehicles, demand for automotive motors is also increasing.
For example, the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in Germany is actively supported by the German Federal Government. Moreover, in August 2021, Germany reached its target of one million registered battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Around 54% of the registered vehicles are battery-electric and 46% are plug-in hybrid. Furthermore, the German government aims to have one million charging stations in the country by 2030. This in turn is expected to increase the demand for automotive motors in this region.
There have been many advances in automotive motors over the years. Electric cars use batteries to power electric motors. The battery delivers the power to the motor, which is either AC or DC. The difference between AC and DC motors is the sort of system that is required to run them in an electric vehicle. Batteries and motors in electric vehicles are different than components of internal combustion engine vehicles. Automotive motors are an integral part of electric vehicles, as they are the preferred choice for performance oriented electric vehicles.