An electric motor including a stator with a plurality of coils wound around a ring-shaped iron core, and a rotor rotatably disposed inside the stator is provided. The rotor includes a rotor shaft and a yoke. The yoke is provided near its periphery with a plurality of plate-like permanent magnets arranged at equal pitches. Heat generated from the rotor is released through a plurality of air holes formed in the yoke between the rotor shaft and the permanent magnets.