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Automotive

GM shows 85 kW permanent magnet EV motor

By New Atlas
October 31, 2011
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GM's new permanent magnet EV motor
Parts from the new EV motor on display at a GM show-and-tell
"We've spent the past few years highlighting our in-house battery capability, which will play a significant role as one of our core competencies going forward," said Larry Nitz, GM executive director of Vehicle Electrification Engineering.
Parts from the new EV motor on display at a GM show-and-tell
The 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV
Parts from the new EV motor on display at a GM show-and-tell
GM's new permanent magnet EV motor
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General Motors will become the first American automotive manufacturer to build its own electric motors when production begins in White Marsh, Md., in late 2012. In promoting this capability, GM has released details of the first motor to be built there, the 85 kW (114 hp) permanent magnet motor to be used in the 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV.

Currently, GM uses electric motors as part of the propulsion system in nine vehicles including the Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Malibu Eco, Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, Buick Lacrosse eAssist, Buick Regal eAssist, GMC Sierra Hybrid, GMC Yukon and Yukon Denali Hybrid, and Cadillac Escalade Hybrid.

GM is focused on the development of permanent magnet and induction motors for a variety of applications, and the White Marsh facility will produce such motors for the Spark and other, as-yet-unnamed future vehicles.

The 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV

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AutomotiveGeneral MotorsElectric VehiclesGMGeneral MotorsElectric VehiclesGM
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New Atlas
New Atlas has been celebrating innovation and human endeavor since our first website launched on March 1, 2002. Since then we’ve produced more than 50,000 articles covering advances in technology, science, transportation, architecture, design, and many other disciplines.
17 comments
Alan Belardinelli
Let\'s see...one of those for each wheel...turbine genny... Giddy up!
Joris van den Heuvel
@Alan: hmmmmmm a 450 hp Chevrolet Spark. That\'s doesn\'t sound right ;-)
Robert Burke
Why not make the wheel rims a dynamo? Have magnets built into the wheel well and was the tire turns, it generates electricity, to keep the batteries charged up or have a wind turbine built in to the roof?
Denis Klanac
And when it hit 88mph........whoooshka
Scion
If you put magnets in the wheel rims to turn them into generators you will waste power trying to turn them. Generators create electricity by converting kinetic energy. Electric motors generate kinetic energy by expending electricity. All you\'d be doing is using an electric motor to turn an electric generator and you\'d lose power to the various inefficiencies in the system. More or less the same with putting a wind turbine on the roof. You could deploy the wind turbine while you are parked, but if you rely on the car\'s forward movement to turn the turbine you\'d be drawing power from the electric motor once more and your car would look funny.
Mr Stiffy
@ Robert Bourke - the reason why wheels are made as light as possible - is because UNSPRUNG mass is a horrible thing.
a) It uses up enormous amounts of power running weight up and down over bumps and dips - via the suspension.
b) It creates a kind of disproportionate run away effect - bigger wheel weights, stronger heavier tyres, heavier stronger suspension - bigger engine / engine output to keep the vehicle going at the same speed.
If all the roads of the world were one big flat glass table top - great idea.
Regular to bad roads - not so much.
Try this out.... get a motorbike - remove the rear disk brake and bolt on the same disk size - piece of steel but 30mm thick and see the difference - or fill the drum housing with lead.
Then take it for a ride on a regular road.....
Not good.
Jay Finke
good idea.. GO GM .. BUY AMERICAN MADE PRODUCTS and support your local small business
Adrian Akau
I think that cars should be made lighter and more aerodynamic without regard to increasing the power of the electric motor powering it. The more powerful the motor, the greater the draw on the battery and the less time the battery will be useable. I know that better batteries are on the way but it is comparitively easy to improve aerodynamics while waiting,
Bruce Greene
Permanent Magnet motors? I thought that the point of fuel efficient cars were to free us from the whims of OPEC. But magnet dependencies enslave us to the whims of the Chinese, the OPEC of the rare earths.
A smarter way would be to use multi-phasic motors that are permanent magnet free. Has GM never heard of Chorus Motors? Or are they simply accustomed to making bad decisions?
Stewart Mitchell
I am expecting the ICE engine to suffer a quick death due to a new pollutant. 2013 is my guess
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