The present invention relates to the field of electric-motor-driven
vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, scooters, electric-motor trains, etc.
Embodiments of the invention seek to provide an economic all-wheel-drive
(AWD) vehicle possessing high dynamic characteristics and a relatively
simple scheme of control over the operation of electric motors. An AWD
vehicle according to the disclosed invention contains at least two
gearless (direct-drive) electric motors, an electric power supply source,
and an electric motor power supply control unit. At least one of said
motors is a start-up (barring) motor and at least one is a cruise
(propulsion) motor. Each of said motors comprises (i) at least one
circular magnetic conductor on which an even number of permanent magnets
are uniformly arranged with a certain pitch; (ii) a circular frame
separated from said magnetic conductor by an air gap and bearing an even
number of electromagnets arranged in pairs one opposite to another; and
(iii) a device switching the polarity of voltage applied to said
electromagnets. Each pair of electromagnets situated one opposite to
another corresponds to a certain phase of the electric motor, the number
(m.sub.1) of phases in the start-up electric motor and the number
(m.sub.2) of phases in the cruise electric motor obey the relation
m.sub.1>m.sub.2. It is also desired that the number (n.sub.1) of
permanent magnets in the start-up electric motor and the number (n.sub.2)
of permanent magnets in the cruise electric motor would obey the relation
n.sub.1>n.sub.2. The power supply control unit can feed each electric
motor separately and independently.