Abstract: A high torque density permanent magnet switched reluctance apparatus with a structure similar to a switched reluctance motor. The apparatus has an inner stator having a plurality of poles, and a rotor disposed radially outward of the inner stator and having a plurality of segments serving as poles. A respective winding is disposed between every pair of adjacent poles of the stator. The apparatus operates with a plurality of separately excitable phases, a given phase being excited by energizing the windings corresponding to the given phase. Excitation of a given phase causes induction of magnetic fluxes traversing a region substantially confined to the region of the stators and rotor segments corresponding to the given phase, and causes a substantial amount of flux to enter rotor segments not in the radial direction but perpendicular to the radial direction.