A motor is a device that, from an energy source, can generate movement. Electric, meanwhile, is what is linked to electricity: the force manifested by the rejection or attraction between charged particles.
The electric motors, thus, are capable of converting machines power into mechanical energy for the development of a job. Some models also perform the reverse process, transforming mechanical energy into electrical energy.
An engine of this type can be powered by sources of AC or DC. Its use is very varied: electric motors are used in watches, drills, cars, trains and submarines, for example.
The alternating current (whose abbreviation in Spanish is CA) is one in which the magnitude and the sense change in a cyclical way. Its developer was Nikola Tesla, a well-known engineer and inventor born in the mid-19th century in the Austrian Empire, who assigned all the patents to the American company Westinghouse Electric to receive the necessary funds to continue its research and development.
The direct current (DC), however, is a flow continuous electrical charge passing through a conductor, from one point to another with different potential and electric charge, which does not vary with the passage of time. Simply put, it differs from alternating current because its electrical charges do not change direction.
There are three types of AC motors: universal, synchronous, and asynchronous. The latter is the most widely used industrially, and the one that requires the least amount of maintenance. The universal electric motor is also called single phase and can operate with various types of current. Their pole cores and circuitry are constructed of silicon iron and stacked to minimize energy loss.
The asynchronous electric motor is characterized in that the magnetic field of the stator and the rotor rotate at different speeds. In the case of the synchronous, the rotation of its axis is synchronized with the frequency of the supply current.
With respect to the direct current electric motor, there is a classification according to the way in which it is connected, and this gives us the following types: series, compound, shunt and brushless electric. In electronics, in addition, the stepper, the servomotor and the coreless are used.
Although the characteristics of electric motors are different according to their class, at a general level it can be said that they use a magnetic field to transform electricity into mechanical energy capable of producing movement. Among the advantages they offer compared to combustion engines are the fact that they do not emit polluting substances and the low demand for external ventilation and cooling.
A car equipped with an electric motor, in this frame, stores electrical energy in rechargeable batteries. The electric motor provides instant torque and gives the vehicle great efficiency.
Compared to a “conventional” car powered by naphtha (gasoline), diesel (diesel or diesel) or compressed natural gas (CNG), a car equipped with an electric motor is quieter and more ecological: when driving, it does not emit pollutants. In any case, it must be taken into account that the generation of electricity can pollute and affect the environment.