Electric motor with shielded phase windings

An electric motor, comprising:

• a rotor that extends along a rotation axis and has an outer periphery;
• a stator having an inner periphery that is separated from the outer periphery of the rotor by a radial air gap;
• slots formed in the stator, each slot having a slot width, and each slot being oriented along a line;
• phase windings connected to the stator and disposed at least partially in the slots, wherein the phase windings are energized and de-energized to induce torque on the rotor by interaction of magnetic fields generated by the phase windings with the rotor to cause rotation of the rotor around the rotation axis;
• and
• openings that extend from each slot to the inner periphery of the stator,
• wherein each opening is defined by opposed surfaces that are spaced apart by an opening width,
• wherein the opposed surfaces of each opening are parallel to one another,
• wherein the opposed surfaces of each opening are oriented at an opening angle between 15 degrees and 75 degrees relative to the line, and
• wherein the opening width of each opening is between five percent and twenty-five percent of the slot width.