How many brakes are on a car?
The question is similar to "How many bones are there in a human body".As a human body cannot function without bones, a car needs many electric motors to operate several functions for it to drive smoothly and perfectly.Cars have been called Motor Cars before.Imagine cars being called engines or generators.They are not.The way we know cars today, they are called Motor Cars because of the number of motor present along with the engine.From the essential CD player to the dispensable sun roof, the list is endless.It has an end.It is large.How many motor types run your car?
The fig.The major parts of a conventional car are shown in this diagram.There is an exploded view of a modern-age car with all its different components, right from small nuts and bolts to the engine and transmission systems.This gives us an idea about how the various parts of the car interact with each other, so as to operate smoothly and effectively.
There are a few hundred electric motors from very small power ratings of 5-10 W to as large as 15-20 kW for different applications and functions in the car.
You can see the explanation for the three categories of motor in the table below.
The motors listed as examples in these three categories major give an idea about the functioning of these categories but the actual list of motors within them is quite extensive.With the increasing complexity and luxury vehicles introduced in the market, the number of these motors in cars is increasing.You can see the figures below.
There is a fig.The growth of performance related motors is shown in the figure.The growth of comfort related motors.
With the increasing demands of customers related to comfort and safety features in a car, one can conclude that the motors in present day cars are increasing in number.It is difficult to designate a single number to the motor present in a modern day car.The modern day car is powered by hundreds of small and large motors.With the growing popularity of electric vehicles like Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt EV, and many others, it could soon be possible to eliminate the existence of an engine in any automobile.