In recent years, flux switching machines (FSMs) have been an attractive research topic owing to their
tremendous advantages of robust rotor structure, high torque, and high power capability suitable for intensive applications. However, most of the investigations are focusing on the inner-rotor structure, which is incongruous for direct drive applications. In this study, high torque and power densities of a new 12S-14P outer-rotor permanent magnet (PM) FSM with a DC excitation coil was investigated based on two-dimensional finite element analysis for in-wheel direct drive electric vehicle (EV). Based on some design restrictions and specifications, design refinements were conducted on the original design machine by using the deterministic optimization approach. With only 1.0 kg PM, the final design machine achieved the maximum torque and power densities of 12.4 Nm/kg and 5.93 kW/kg, respectively, slightly better than the inner-rotor HEFSM and interior PM synchronous machine design for EV.