Ebike Brushless Motor VS Brushed Motor
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Ebike Brushless Motor VS Brushed Motor

Views: 753     Author: Site Editor     Publish Time: 2022-09-14      Origin: Site

Ebike Brushless Motor VS Brushed Motor

If you are looking for an electric bike conversion kit with an electronic controller and an electric motor to turn your standard bike into an e-bike, you may be comparing electric bike conversion kits with brushed vs brushless motors. The best electric bikes and conversion kits, after all, tend to include one of these types of motors. In this article, we will introduce the two-type electric bike motor and the differences.

1. What Is Brushless Motor And Brushed Motor

Brushed Motors

ebike brushed motor

A brushed DC motor uses a configuration of wound wire coils- the armature- acting as a two-pole electromagnet. When the motor is working, the coil and the commutator (a mechanical rotary switch) rotate, the permanent magnets and the brushes do not rotate, and the current direction change of the coil is completed by the commutator and the brush. When the current direction of the coil change, the electromagnet's poles are changed and push against the permanent magnets along the outside of the motor.

This contact of brushes and commutator wears the brushes that these brushes have to be replaced regularly. This replacement is not so expensive but to manage this work itself is not so easy.

Brushless Motors

ebike brushless motor

A brushless motor utilizes a permanent magnet as its external rotor or internal rotor. In addition, it uses three phases of driving coils and three hall sensors to track the rotor position. When the sensor tracks the rotor position, it sends out reference signals to the controller. Then the controller activates the coils in a structured way — one phase after the other.

The brushless motor adopts electronic commutation, the coil does not move, and the magnetic pole rotates. As there is no physical contact from any parts of the motor inside, therefore there is virtually no wear and tear possibilities, making the motor's durability limitless. These motors require sophisticated controllers, and it makes it possible for using three different windings, and power is supplied by individual windings according to the position they are in the movement. When the motor passes one winding, the controller passes the power to another winding, making the movement to continue without stopping.

Modern e-bikes all prefer to use "brushless" hub motors, just because they are more durable than the "brushed" counterpart, besides the maintenance cost in them is also very little.

At Merry Gold,all of our ebikes  use brushless motor, here are some examples for your reference:

ebike brushless motor VS brushed motor-1

ebike brushless motor VS brushed motor-2

What is the difference between brushed and brushless hub motors?

2. Differences Between Brushed And Brushless Motors

When it comes to the motor types typically found in electric bikes and conversion kits alike, they fall into one of two categories. Brushed DC motors use a configuration of wound wire coil to interact with electromagnets and the motor itself. The coil does not rotate, but the brushes come into contact with the electromagnetic regularly, which are the primary differences from a brushed DC motor.

Brushed DC motors, otherwise known as a BLDC motors, use a permanent magnet to reach a similar result as a brushless motor. The coil rotates to meet this magnet, but there is no physical contact otherwise. This leads to a number of performance differences, which are slightly in line with when you compare direct drive vs a geared motor with electric bikes.

Durability

Brushed DC hub motors are generally thought to be more durable and long-lasting than brushed hub motors. Why? There is not much physical contact between the components so they tend to stay in tip-top shape for a longer period of time. Brushless hub motors, on the other hand, feature brushes that constantly come into contact with the motor coil and other components. This leads to a degradation of these components, particularly the brushes themselves. In other words, you will have to get these brushes replaced regularly as a part of your overall maintenance routine.

Speed

Generally speaking, brushless motors allow for higher maximum speeds than brushed DC motors. This all boils down to energy efficiency. Brushless motors are highly efficient (85-90%) compared to brushed motors (75-80%). This increased efficiency also translates to battery life, which is important if you are comparing electric bike batteries of 36v and 12ah vs 48v 9ah.

Cost

Brushless motors will tend to cost more than brushed motor designs, which will translate to the cost of the e-bike or conversion kit itself.

Fundamentally speaking, electric motors translate electrical energy into mechanical energy. E-bikes use brushless DC motors, or BLDC motors, meaning they don't use brushes to alternate the direction of current flowing to the motor, as older electric motors did. If you want to buy an ebike now, to learn the advantage and disadvantage both of them and make the right choice.

3. Pros And Cons Of Brushed And Brushless

Deciding between a brushless motor ebike or brushed motor ebike means evaluating your priorities in a bicycle. With that in mind, these are the pros and cons of each design

The Pros Of Brushed Motor

  • Low cost.

  • Require a simple and inexpensive controller.

  • no controller needed for fixed speeds.

The Cons Of Brushed Motor

  • Less efficient, poor heat dissipation capacity

  • Electric Noisy

  • Regular maintenance and replacement.

The Pros Of Brushless Motor

  • High efficiency

  • Low maintenance, Long lifespan.

  • Lower electric noise generation.

  • High-speed range

The Cons Of Brushless Motor

  • High cost

  • Require a complex and expensive controller

4. Conclusion

When it comes to the motor designs found with e-bike conversion kits, you have brushed DC motors and brushless DC motors to choose from. Brushless motors are more durable and long-lasting, as there are fewer points of contact between sensitive components. Brushless motors also allow for higher maximum speeds, though they are more expensive. Which one would you prefer?