Advanced motor developments for electric vehicles

Advances in motors and drives can make a significant improvement in the performance and cost effectiveness of electric vehicles (EV´s)--increasing the vehicle range by as much as 20 percent, while reducing costs as much as 15 percent below present levels. Preliminary studies suggest that improvements in conventional dc motors and drives can only achieve modest improvements (about 3 percent in range and 10 percent in costs). Two advanced motor concepts-- electronically-commutated motors and permanent-magnet motors-- appear more promising.