An electric vehicle having a drive wheel, comprising: a battery; a three-phase AC electric motor, including coils (5U, 5V, 5W) of a first phase, a second phase, and a third phase, adapted to generate a driving force to be transmitted to the drive wheel; and a motor controller adapted to control a supply of current from the battery to the coils (5U, 5V, 5W) of the electric motor; wherein the motor controller includes a drive circuit including a first phase circuit, a second phase circuit, and a third phase circuit, respectively corresponding to the first phase, second phase, and third phase, each of the first phase circuit, the second phase circuit and the third phase circuit having a series circuit of an upper arm switching element (Sw1, Sw3, Sw5, SwH) and a lower arm switching element (Sw2, Sw4, Sw6, SwL), the first phase circuit, the second phase circuit and the third phase circuit being connected in parallel with respect to the battery, a short-circuit control means 8 (280, 330) adapted to turn on all of the lower arm switching elements (Sw2, Sw4, Sw6, SwL) of the first phase circuit, the second phase circuit, and the third phase circuit to short-circuit the coils (5U, 5V, 5W) of the first phase, second phase, and third phase to put the electric motor in a short-circuited state in response to meeting of a predetermined short-circuiting condition, and a release control means (280,330) adapted to release the short-circuited state by turning off the lower arm switching element (Sw2, Sw4, Sw6, SwL) of a phase circuit in response to meeting of a predetermined release condition when the electric motor is in the short-circuited state, characterized in that the electric vehicle is a two-wheeled electric vehicle, and the release control means (280,330) is adapted to release the short-circuited state in a period in which the current outflowing from the coil (5U, 5V, 5W) of the corresponding phase is equal to or less than a prescribed value. a battery; a three-phase AC electric motor, including coils (5U, 5V, 5W) of a first phase, a second phase, and a third phase, adapted to generate a driving force to be transmitted to the drive wheel; and a motor controller adapted to control a supply of current from the battery to the coils (5U, 5V, 5W) of the electric motor; wherein the motor controller includes a drive circuit including a first phase circuit, a second phase circuit, and a third phase circuit, respectively corresponding to the first phase, second phase, and third phase, each of the first phase circuit, the second phase circuit and the third phase circuit having a series circuit of an upper arm switching element (Sw1, Sw3, Sw5, SwH) and a lower arm switching element (Sw2, Sw4, Sw6, SwL), the first phase circuit, the second phase circuit and the third phase circuit being connected in parallel with respect to the battery, a short-circuit control means 8 (280, 330) adapted to turn on all of the lower arm switching elements (Sw2, Sw4, Sw6, SwL) of the first phase circuit, the second phase circuit, and the third phase circuit to short-circuit the coils (5U, 5V, 5W) of the first phase, second phase, and third phase to put the electric motor in a short-circuited state in response to meeting of a predetermined short-circuiting condition, and a release control means (280,330) adapted to release the short-circuited state by turning off the lower arm switching element (Sw2, Sw4, Sw6, SwL) of a phase circuit in response to meeting of a predetermined release condition when the electric motor is in the short-circuited state, characterized in that the electric vehicle is a two-wheeled electric vehicle, and the release control means (280,330) is adapted to release the short-circuited state in a period in which the current outflowing from the coil (5U, 5V, 5W) of the corresponding phase is equal to or less than a prescribed value.