Stage 01 · Motor Engineering

How an electric motor works

No pistons. No explosions. Just magnets, copper and timing. An electric motor has one moving part: and you're about to take control of it.

Motor test bench

Push current through the stator coils and watch the rotor chase the rotating magnetic field.

Rotor speed0 rpm
Power draw0 kW
DirectionForward
Pit debrief: what you just did
01

Current creates a magnetic field

Push electric current through a copper coil and it becomes an electromagnet. The six coils around the edge, the stator, switch on and off in sequence, creating a magnetic field that rotates around the circle thousands of times per minute.

02

The rotor chases the field

The spinning part, the rotor, carries its own magnets. Opposite poles attract, so the rotor is permanently chasing the rotating field, like a sprinter chasing a pace car that never slows down. More current = stronger field = harder pull.

03

Why the ODYSSEY 21 uses two of them

One 200 kW motor drives the front axle, one drives the rear. Independent control of each axle means the car can shift force between front and rear wheels in milliseconds: essential when the surface changes from rock to sand mid-corner. Together they peak at 400 kW, roughly 550 horsepower.

Checkpoint in sight. Ready to trade torque for speed?

Clear checkpoint: Stage 02 Back to the paddock