Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:12 am
My first reaction was also that electrostatic motors would not be useful. Seems to be the "common wisdom". Probably started by this guy (corona motor inventor):
By the 1870s, magnetic motors were (understandably) taking the lead:"Poggendorff's negative attitude toward the usefulness of his design may well have retarded its subsequent development."
Engineering-wise, high-power/high-voltage electrostatic motors are unexplored territory. Maybe modern materials can make them useful for niche HV applications.(Wikipedia) "The modern DC motor was invented by accident in 1873, when Zénobe Gramme connected the dynamo he had invented to a second similar unit, driving it as a motor. The Gramme machine was the first electric motor that was successful in the industry."