The UK-based YASA, acquired by Mercedes-Benz, has developed an ultra-high-performance electric vehicle motor that promises unmatched weight, size, and power density compared to current electric cars on the road.
The axial flux motor, the brainchild of Tim Woolmer during his Ph.D. at Oxford University, offers several advantages over the conventional radial flux motors that power most electric vehicles today. It is lighter and smaller, yet delivers up to four times the torque output. This means it does more with less and is more efficient as well.
The core advantage of an axial flux motor is that the spinning rotor has a larger diameter because it turns alongside the stator rather than inside it. This larger radius translates into more torque for the same force. Additionally, the YASA motor topology removes the stator yoke, reducing the stator iron mass by up to 80%. This innovation provides a significant power density advantage and a 5% to 10% range benefit over the radial electric motors on which most of today’s mass-market electric vehicles depend.
YASA axial flux motors are already being used in ultra-high-performance vehicles such as the Ferrari SF 90 and 296 GTB and the Koenigsegg Regera. Rolls Royce is also using them for its experimental electric airplane, the Spirit Of Innovation.
Read more: www.wired.com