Full Throttle for New Motors: Electric Vehicles Drive Evolution -- Nikkei Electronics Asia --November 2010 - Tech-On!

Full Throttle for New Motors: Electric Vehicles Drive Evolution -- Nikkei Electronics Asia --November 2010 - Tech-On!

There is considerable interest in motors for applications other than merely replacing internal combustion engines, and motor technology is being revolutionized in a number of fields where motors are already being used. One excellent example is railway carriages. Railways have mostly used induction motors (IM), but are beginning to switch over to permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) for their higher efficiency. The pace of change is rapid indeed in both new applications like automobiles and existing applications such as rail.

Technologies developed for vehicular use, including new designs and new materials, will eventually spill over into home appliance and equipment fields as well. If these new motor structures and materials achieve widespread adoption, it would mean air conditioners with much smaller condenser units outside, and industrial equipment with much lower power consumption. Toshiba Corp. of Japan has already used a variable-magnetism motor originally developed for use in EVs in a washing machine, cutting power consumption by up to 16% from the prior design.