An electric motor is composed of three major components: armature, commutator, and brushes. The armature is an electromagnet made by coiling a wire around two or more poles of a metal core. The armature attaches to an axle (or shaft), and the commutator is attached to the axle. The commutator is a pair of plates attached to the axle. These plates provide the two connections for the coil of the electromagnet.

As the electro-magnetic forces cause the armature to move through one half of a revolution, the commutator and the brushes cause the electric field to flip. The flip causes the electromagnet to complete another half-turn of rotation. This flipping the electric field happens thousands of time per second and the motor spins.

One of the most popular motors used in DC powered electric cars is the high torque, dependable, series wound motor. We recommend using a WarP 7 motor in our electric vehicle. This motor was designed by NetGain Technologies, LLC.

For use with other projects, these motors can be found in a variety of horsepower and voltage ranges.

This video shows some basic DC motor maintenance, what to look for, and how to clean the commutator.

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