ESC Motor connection requirement

Hi everyone,

I’m working on a high-power setup with a Plettenberg NOVA 15‑70 BLDC motor (24S battery, ~110 V max, datasheet shows up to 240 A peak) and I want to make sure I size my ESC → motor connectors correctly.

Some details about my system:

  • Battery: 24S LiPo (~110 V nominal)

  • Motor: Plettenberg NOVA 15‑70-B6-P30

  • ESC → Motor: 3-phase, phase cables ~8 AWG (8 mm²) as recommended by Plettenberg

  • Expected battery-side current: 120–150 A continuous, up to 240 A peak

My main question:

Do I need connectors rated for 200 A for each of the three motor phase wires, or is it sufficient to use ~55–60 A connectors that match the 8 AWG cables?

My understanding so far:

  • The phase current in a three-phase BLDC motor is not the same as the DC battery current.

  • RMS phase current is typically much lower than the DC bus current, so the phase wires see only a portion of the battery current at any instant.

  • That’s why Plettenberg recommends 8 AWG phase cables even though the battery current can be over 150 A.

I want to make sure I select connectors that are safe, reliable, and easy to plug/unplug, without overkill.

Does anyone have experience with ESC → motor connectors in setups like this? What types of connectors do you recommend for ~8 AWG phase wires handling these currents?