30 January/February 2026 | E-Mobility Engineering Repeated testing of electric motors brings many benefits. Nick Flaherty examines some of the procedures in common use Clean bill of health Electric motor tests conducted throughout the stages of an electric motor’s life cycle provide essential information about the motor’s overall health and provide engineers with a range of benefits. Testing improves reliability because it identifies potential issues and allows for proactive maintenance to prevent breakdowns and extend the motor’s lifespan, while also addressing electrical energy issues to reduce losses and lower operating costs. While the specific tests conducted will vary depending on the complexity of the motor, its application and the parameters being evaluated, some of the key tests used during electric motor testing include the following: • Electrical tests such as polarity checks and voltage level measurements • Vibration tests to detect any imbalances or misalignments • Thermal tests to monitor the motor’s temperature to avoid overheating • Dynamic tests to see how the motor performs in transient states • Noise tests to evaluate acoustic characteristics against sound standards • Insulation tests to ensure the motor’s insulation materials won’t degrade while operating Some examples include megger tests, high-potential (hi-pot) tests and surge testing. A megger insulation resistance test uses a megohmmeter to apply high DC voltage to an electric motor’s windings to measure insulation health, checking for shorts to ground or between phases, ensuring safety and preventing failure by detecting degradation with high resistance readings (megaohms) versus low readings (failure). The basic procedure involves disconnecting power, connecting probes from the megger to the motor frame (ground) and windings, applying voltage (for example 500 V for a 400 V motor) and reading the megaohm (MΩ) value. Surge testing can find weaknesses in turn-to-turn, coil-to-coil and phaseto-phase insulation that can lead to electrical failure. Dynamic motor power measurement In-vehicle testing provides engineers with a method to benchmark competitors’ vehicles, calibrate drivetrains and validate the performance of the product. Electrical power measurements on motors and related power conversion circuitry are becoming necessary for evaluating vehicles, but mobile power measurements were previously difficult The eDAQXR data acquisition system is designed for rugged in-vehicle structural measurements (Image: Hottinger Brüel & Kjær (HBK))
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