What kinds of electric car motors are the most popular?

There are a lot of electric motors out there, but just a few make up the majority of the motors being used in electric cars: the series wound DC motor, the permanent magnet motor, and the 3-phase AC motor. We'll talk about the pros and cons of each of these three types here.

When people choose a motor for their car, they're balancing factors like:

Cost. The DC motors usually cost less than AC motors, and you can find series wound DC traction motors in forklift salvage yards. 

Availability. DC motors are often easier to find locally than AC motors.

The "do it yourself" factor. Nobody wants a half-finished EV project scattered all over the garage, right? Simple installation is important to getting the job actually done, and DC motor systems used to be simpler to install - until HPEVS AC motors came along.