Electrical Power

Electrical Power is the power supplied to the motor controller from the battery. It represents the rate at which electrical energy is consumed by the system.

Electrical power is determined by the battery voltage and battery current:

Electrical Power = Voltage × Battery Current

In the VESC ecosystem, electrical power is measured at the controller input and is commonly used to estimate energy consumption, battery load, and system performance.

⚠️ Electrical Power is often confused with Mechanical Power. These terms should not be used interchangeably. Electrical power describes the energy being supplied by the battery, not the useful power being delivered by the motor. System losses mean that electrical power will always be greater than mechanical power.

Example

A battery supplying 50V at 20A is providing:

50 × 20 = 1000W

of electrical power to the controller.

In simple terms: electrical power is the power being drawn from the battery.