What does kv stand for on a motor

mach1 rc

Master member
So I have a 2212 1000kv brushless motor and I am wondering what they stand for. Does the kv mean the torque it has or how fast it spins.
 

mach1 rc

Master member
One other question I have is that my cousin told me that the lower the kv the higher the power. Is that true?
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
One other question I have is that my cousin told me that the lower the kv the higher the power. Is that true?
More power no, more torque yes.
Power = watts, that is, power = work per unit of time.
Work per unit of time, that is, a heavy load moved slowly = a light load moved quickly
A low Kv motor moves a heavy load (big prop) slowly, more torque
A high Kv motor moves a light load (small prop) quickly, less torque
Both motors could have the same power, say 300 watts.
The low Kv motor will produce a lot of thrust at a low air speed, that is you could hang the plane from the prop.
The high Kv motor will produce more speed, that is the same power, the same amount of work, just at higher speed.
 
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