Brushed vs. Brushless Hub Motor?
These days, most e-bikes use “brushless” hub motors. They require almost no maintenance and last much longer than “brushed” hub motors – but are a bit more expensive. Here are the details about how they work in case you have a choice: Brushed Hub Motors In a brushed hub motor, electrical energy is transferred through small metal “brushes”‘ that contact a rotating part of the motor called the commutator. Because there is physical contact between stationary and moving parts, wear will occur, and over time (about every 3000 miles), the brushes will have to be replaced. Replacement is easy, but getting the motor back together isn’t! Brushed hub motors require less complex controllers than brushless motors, so the systems are less expensive. But we always recommend brushless hub motors because of ease-of-maintenance. Brushless Hub Motors With a brushless motor, there is no contact between any of the parts inside the motor. The end result is a motor with no theoretical life limit. Brushless
