Brushless DC motor (BLDC)

In a brushed DC motor, carbon brushes mechanically switch current as the shaft turns. A brushless motor moves that job into electronics: a driver switches current between the windings based on rotor position, sensed with Hall-effect sensors or an encoder, or estimated from the motor's back-EMF. With no brushes to wear, brushless motors last longer, run cooler, create less electrical noise and deliver more torque for their size.

They now dominate fans, pumps, drones, power tools, e-bikes, appliances and HVAC blowers (where they are often called EC motors). The trade-off is more complex and more expensive drive electronics and firmware; the commutation method, six-step or field-oriented control, shapes noise, smoothness and efficiency.