Powering up with electric motors

Get to know these proven and increasingly efficient power generators as they take over more of the vehicle's propulsion load from internal-combustion engines.

Electric motors can easily deliver the same torque and power as internal-combustion engines (ICEs), depending on the battery that feeds them. Yet they behave in some fundamentally different ways, including their low-rpm performance.

“Electric motors [in general] make maximum torque from zero rpm and can be designed with a very wide, flat torque curve,” explained Ian Wright, CEO of Wrightspeed, a start-up company developing a series-hybrid upgrade kit for commercial vehicles.