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Comment by ChrisMarshallNY | Hacker News Reader

I'm curious as to the efficiency of the motor (basically, how much of the input electric power is converted to motive power).

If it isn't very good, then it might be excellent for drag races, but maybe not so many others.

Also, any power that doesn't turn into torque, is likely to be expressed as heat.

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It would almost have to be very efficient -- they're saying it can do something like 500HP continuous, and it doesn't have enormous fins all over it for cooling.

Looking at the picture, it looks like there may be a liquid input (cooling). Even a very efficient motor is going to need cooling (and lubricant).

That almost seems like cheating. Like the very very old joke where the guy is standing on the train station with two large briefcases beside him, talking on an impossibly small cell phone (this was a joke around 1995). Another man walks up to him as the guy ends his call and says,

"That cell phone is amazing! So small!"

"And it only weighs four ounces" the man replies proudly. "I sell them, if you're interested. They're $500, but you can talk for over 8 hours."

"I'll take it!" the other replies, and hands over the cash.

The man pulls a small box out of his jacket and says, "Here's your phone and cable," then picks up one of the briefcases, struggling with the weight, "And here's your battery."

All to say, claiming the lightest most powerful electric motor without at least mentioning how big/heavy the cooling system is seems wrong.

Exactly my thought as well. You can have all the horsepower you want but if it doesn't convert the electricity efficiently, it's not going to be useful for normal consumer cars.

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