On using gears and a low powered motor

Question

I have system I want to move with a DC motor that requires about 1 kW of power when taking into account rolling resistance, drag resistance and when moving on an inclined plane with a specific velocity. I had trouble finding small enough motors to provide that power so I asked a friend for help and he told me to use a gear system with low power motors.
So I ended having a question in my mind: Does the motor power, say a 1 kW motor, need to match the 1 kW requirement of the system or is it the torque provided by this motor that needs to match the torque of the system I want to move, in this case ((9.55 * 1000 kW)/ 600 rpm) = 15.91 Nm? If it's the torque then that means I can use a 200 W with known torque and a gear system to multiply the torque and match that 15.91 Nm requirement? If it's the power then is my only option using enough motors to match that 1 kW value, say 5 200 W motors? I'm sorry if the question is not totally clear, I'll do my best answer any questions.

NMech · Accepted Answer

What you'll find is that most electric motor (not all) exhibit a curve like the following

So at very low rpms they tend to have a very stable torque and low power. As rpm increase at some point Power tends to flat out and torque start to drop, because just like @jko said :
$$Power  = M_t cdot omega=M_t cdot 2cdotpi frac{n}{60}$$
So there is always a tradeoff, that's the important thing you need to keep in mind.
I don't know the application (although I suspect it is some sort of vehicle) and/or how you arrived to the number of 1kW, however if you are certain about that value, there is no getting around the power of the motor. So you'd need at least a 1 kW motor.
Having said that, if you are not concerned about velocity (or how fast you get things done), I think you don't need to worry about the power, and you can focus on the Torque. In that case the tradeoff is time. You will be able to do something big with a small motor given enough time.

jko · Answer

The motor power needs to match the power of your system. Power = speed x torque.
Gears can provide different speeds and torques, but power is constant (minus any losses from friction). Try to use only one motor if possible.

On using gears and a low powered motor

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