The invention discloses a drive device of an electric motor car. The drive device comprises a shell, a motor, a speed change mechanism and a gear-shifting self-holding electromagnet, wherein the speed change mechanism comprises an output shaft sleeve, a high-speed driven gear and a low-speed driven gear are sleeved on the output shaft sleeve, and mutually matched ratchet mechanisms are arranged between the output shaft and the high-speed driven gear and between the output shaft sleeve and the low-speed driven gear. The drive device also comprises a wheel axle, wherein the output shaft sleeve is sleeved on the wheel axle through a bearing, a gear-shifting shaft sleeve capable of moving along the axial direction is sleeved on the wheel axle, the gear-shifting shaft sleeve is matched with the ratchet wheel mechanism by moving the gear shifting shaft sleeve, thus switching between high speed and low speed can be realized. The drive device provided by the invention has the advantages of high gear shifting speed, accuracy and reliability, convenience for maintenance, capability of automatically carrying out power upgrading, low cost, and capability of increasing bearing capacity of the electric motor car.