You Can Totally Call An 'Engine' A 'Motor'

Hehe... Says a writer in Jalopnik:
https://jalopnik.com/you-can-totally-call-an-engine-a-motor-1818860405

... then ends:

So yes, you can totally say a gasoline-powered car has a motor, and you can say an electric car has an engine, but there’s no doubt that the latter is bit odd, while the former is totally normal.

Click to expand...

"...you can say an electric car has an engine, but there’s no doubt that the latter is bit odd..."

I say MORE than "a bit odd"... Like, I joke around about the "diseasal" engine (diesel engine)... while I can't recall an electric motor overheating to the point of "stuff burning up" w/"stuff like a burning plastic smell" in the air. Anyway. MY vote? "Motor" good, "engine" ... VERY suspect... where fossil remains are involved. One of MY favorite "motors" is the "turbine" ... but that's only where the "high pressure fluid" is water "falling down hill"... (think "Niagara Falls". Also... a big fan of as little maintenance needed as possible. ie "preventative" maintenance. :wink: )



Pretty sure this is one Jalopnik writer that has been thinking "motors and engines" for decades... and is now having difficulty giving up thoughts of "engine". :lol:

Many common phrases run contrary to proper and correct engineering terms. I honestly don't care either way when I'm listening to someone (or reading), as long as I understand what they are getting at.

Its my understanding that the main difference between an engine and a motor is if the power is generated IN the device, or the power comes from somewhere else. This is why steam engines and the Sterling engine use the same term as a gasoline or diesel unit (in spite of external ignition), and a hydraulic system that turns a rotary shaft is called a pump and motor, similar to a battery/generator and the electric motor they supply.

In German there is no ‚engine‘ or ‚motor‘. It‘s all ‚Motor‘. That‘s probably why most german speaking members call everything a motor that outputs power.

AFAICR from previous discussions on this, an engine creates motive power by some form of thermal energy conversion, while a motor directly creates motive power from it's energy source. (or something like that).