The design of an in-wheel electric motor
for the solar-powered vehicle ‘Aurora’, entered in
the 1996, 3010km Darwin ~ Adelaide World
Solar Challenge solar car race is described.
Compared to other entrants in the race, the
brushless DC motor is more efficient (97.5%
compared to 92-95%) and lighter (8.3kg
compared to 12-16kg) than all other direct-drive
motors, and more efficient than all motodgear
combinations. This is achieved by the use of high
flux-density rare-earth magnets, and computer
aided optimisation of an axial-flux configuration
consisting of a Halbach magnet array and an
ironless air-gap winding.
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