A three-phase squirrel-cage induction motor is used as a propulsion system of an electric vehicle (EV). The motor is controlled at different operating conditions using a direct torque control (DTC) technique combined with a new switching pattern producing low harmonics. The operating flux of the motor is chosen optimally for losses minimization and good dynamic response. Since speed estimation is sensitive to rotor resistance variations, the rotor resistance value is calculated and modified in real time continuously. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed DTC is able to follow the reference speed (which may be only input reference of the system) with a reasonable dynamic and relatively low error.