A switched reluctance or variable reluctance motor does not contain any permanent magnets. The stator is similar to a brushless dc motor. However, the rotor consists only of iron laminates. The iron rotor is attracted to the energized stator pole. The polarity of the stator pole does not matter. Torque is produced as a result of the attraction between the electromagnet and the iron rotor.

The rotor forms a magnetic circuit with the energized stator pole. The reluctance of a magnetic circuit is the magnetic equivilent to the resistance of a electric circuit. The reluctance of the magnetic circuit decreases as the rotor aligns with the stator pole. When the rotor is inline with the stator the gap between the rotor and stator is very small. At this point the reluctance is at a minimum. This is where the name “Switched Reluctance” comes from.

The inductance of the energized winding also varies as the rotor rotates. When the rotor is out of alignment, the inductance is very low, and the current will increase rapidly. When the rotor is aligned with the stator, the inductance will be very large and the slope decreases. This is one of the difficulties in driving a switched reluctance motor.