A reduced weight rotor design for use in an electric motor where the reduced weight rotor maintains its structural integrity. The reduced weight rotor includes a center hub, an outer ring having lobed portions extending inwardly towards the hub and located adjacent to each location of a magnetic pole pairing, and spokes connecting the hub to the outer ring where the spokes are arranged in a number of pairs equal to the total number of the magnetic pole pairings and wherein each spoke of a given pair does not cross each other spoke of the given pair but does cross a spoke of an adjacent pair thereby forming a one cross spoke pattern.