Spoked rotor with tapered pole segments

A rotor for use in an electric motor and rotatable about an axis, said rotor comprising:

• a plurality of magnets arranged arcuately about the axis;
• and
• a core including a plurality of arcuately arranged pole segments alternating with the magnets, such that each of the magnets is at least in part interposed between adjacent pole segments,
• said pole segments at least in part cooperatively presenting an annular core face,
• said core face at least in part defining a core envelope,
• said envelope defining a core radius,
• each of said pole segments including—
• a main body presenting a body face extending concentrically with the axis and disposed along the envelope,
• said body face presenting a pair of arcuately spaced apart body edges, and
• a pair of ears each extending generally arcuately outwardly from a corresponding one of the body edges,
• each of said ears presenting a substantially flat ear face extending directly from the corresponding one of the body edges,
• each of said ear faces defining a taper angle relative to a tangent plane defined at the corresponding one of the body edges,
• each of said ear faces being disposed radially inside the envelope and presenting a radially innermost ear edge disposed radially inwardly of said envelope by an ear recess distance,
• said taper angle being between about 4 degrees and about 8 degrees,
• said ear recess distance being between about 0.2% and 0.5% of said core radius.