Have We Gotten Electric Motors Wrong for 150 Years?
166K views · Apr 15, 2026 · Science & Technology
Comments · 638
@TehPwnerer · 5 months ago
"Trusting is good but controlling is better" probably best translates as "trust but verify"<br>a saying you will come across quite frequently at least in tech industry
239
@Danji_Coppersmoke · 5 months ago
I visited the CMotive site, and they have an efficiency PDF document. From that, their tested efficiency is around 88%. When cross-comparing the induction motor + gear and the permanent magnet motor, they compared them in a very weird way. They use the inductor's total loss as a 100% reference for cross-comparison with others, but do not mention the induction motor's nominal efficiency. <br>First, 88% is low efficiency. PMM can easily exceed 90%, and a single-stage reduction gearbox is usually 98% efficient. <br>Second, in comparison, if the PMM they use has lower efficiency then 88%, that is a pretty sucky motor.
264
@Milosz_Ostrow · 5 months ago
(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIpAS6OLJDw&t=118">1:58</a>) Narrator: "Left Hand Rule". Screen diagram: Shows drawing of right hand.
30
@LexK137 · 5 months ago
There are so many low-speed applications for motors, especially in "soft robotics" or anything that need to interact with humans. Door motors, mobility devices, elevators, escalators, etc.<br><br>Plus high-torque low-speed industrial applications like tractors, cranes, garbage truck mechanicals, and I'm guessing even many pumps and compressors could all benefit from high torque and low speed. I'd love it if a high-efficiency compressor motor for a heat pump could be designed to use very low speed motors so they don't whine like banshees.
54
@dekutree64 · 5 months ago
Everyone who dabbles in electricity should build a Wimshurst machine. And a Bonetti machine to go with it, which is several times more powerful so you can really feel the electrostatic forces (sort of like peeling velcro apart), but can be difficult to get started without the Wimshurst. It's especially interesting to dismantle the machine and pull the discs apart just after running it. The electric field blooms outward and can be felt quite strongly with your arm hair, which behaves like iron filings in a magnetic field :)
5
@krakhedd · 5 months ago
Talking about electric motors, and in your intro you say, "....see if it has the potential to replace...." *And you didn't even crack a grin at your masterful punnery*!!!
30
@BlackHoleForge · 5 months ago
I appreciate you putting the numbers in the bottom for your sources. Sometimes the subject is so intriguing, that you want to go read the actual papers.
4
@surkh · 5 months ago
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIpAS6OLJDw&t=754">12:34</a> well, i do see electrostatic potential there
3
@Erik_Swiger · 5 months ago
I've spent my whole life trying to understand the intricacies of magnet electric motors. Now, I'm exicted to learn about a whole new field of motors.
30
@martyb3783 · 5 months ago
Fascinating stuff. Great video. Well done!
1
@HangarQueen · 5 months ago
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIpAS6OLJDw&t=118">1:58</a> Whoops, describing the left-hand rule while the graphic is a right hand.
62
@anullhandle · 5 months ago
Over 99% is currently the record for large industrial motors. Still this could have application in overall system eff.
18
Up next

VW’s Battery WITHOUT an Anode: 2x the Range and Cheaper!
German Science Guy · 77K views

Breakthrough: Hydrogen Finally Cheaper Than Gas?
German Science Guy · 459K views

How Electrostatic Motors are Breaking All the Rules
Ziroth · 1.1M views

Why isn't anyone taking advantage of this super-affordable PV upgrade?
German Science Guy · 64K views

Germany's New Invention Could Make Solar Panels Obsolete
Deutsch Vision · 995 views

Once You Understand it, You Will Think Everything Else is Silly - Toyota E-CVT
driving 4 answers · 1.5M views

It's Over: Bonds COLLAPSE to WORST Levels Since 2002 - Netherlands BANS Microsoft
House of El · 246K views

If Copper Isn't Magnetic, Why Does a Magnet Float Inside Copper? — The History of Neodymium
VEIN Material · 6.1K views

New Dual Rotor Technology Might Be Reinventing The Wheel, It’s a Bigger Deal Than You Think
Incredible Stories · 941K views

Hydrogen Powerpaste: 10x Higher Energy Density & Safe?
German Science Guy · 331K views

Researchers Accidentally Discover New Superconducting State
German Science Guy · 53K views

How Printed Circuit Board Motors Are Insanely Efficient
Ziroth · 667K views

The Engineering 'Error' That Made the P-51 Dominate The Skies
The Blueprint Vault and 2 more · 405K views

The End of EVs in China?
German Science Guy · 185K views

Toothless Gears Make Much More Torque Than Conventional Ones, Here's How. Cycloid Drive Explained
driving 4 answers · 2.4M views

Why This Genius Race Car Was Banned
Driver61 · 5.8M views

New Heat Storage: Better Than a Heat Pump?
German Science Guy · 52K views

The End of CAD. How LEAP71 Is Recomputing the World
Mars Chronicles · 165K views

The $1 Trillion Problem Diamonds Can Solve
Cleo Abram · 3.3M views

Why Steam Power's 200-Year Reign Might Be Over
Undecided with Matt Ferrell · 689K views

This Tiny 950hp Electric Motor is a Game Changer
Ziroth · 812K views

This Train Runs on Gravity (And Never Needs Refueling)
German Science Guy · 204K views

The Forbidden Motor: Genius or Hoax?
Gabor Makes · 67K views

America's "Revolutionary" Copper Replacement Is Already Failing — Experts Call It a Scam
The New Standard US · 661 views

NEW Magnetic Tech Unlocks Impossible Motor Design!
Motor Explorer · 188K views

This Is the Most Effective Home Wind Turbine in the World — So Why Don’t We Use It?
Glen Pritchard · 6.4K views