One motor drives the water pump, the other drives the fan. Evaporative coolers work by running water over a screen and blowing a fan through the screen, causing the water to evaporate, which cools the surrounding air. The two functions both require power--the water must be pumped over the screen in order to be in the proper location to evaporate and the fan that causes the evaporation needs power as well, an to create a small, compact machine, it's easier to use 2 small motors rather than one large one. Hope that answers it!