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Is a Tesla engine different from other electric cars?

My buddy drives a Tesla and he claims that any other electric car on the market won’t be as powerful. Is a Tesla engine different from other electric cars?

avatar
Allison Stone · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Almost all mainstream
electric cars
operate on a similar type of battery and motor configuration that works in approximately the same way. Still, there are two different types of motors that can be used.
  • If the motor is a DC motor, it may run on anything from 96 to 192 volts.
  • If the motor is an AC motor, it probably is a three-phase AC motor running at 240 volts AC with a 300-volt battery pack.
Tesla
actually uses both. For example, Tesla uses alternating current (AC) induction motors in the Model S but uses permanent-magnet direct current (DC) motors in its Model 3.
Generally, AC induction motors are slightly less efficient, while DC permanent-magnet motors are smaller and lighter.
The power output of an electric car depends on the size of its motors and the wattage of an incoming current. While Tesla does make some pretty powerful cars, it’s certainly not the only brand on the market that does so.
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