Engineering Revolution: The YASA Axial Flux Motor
The Electric Vehicle Industry relies on Radial Electric Motors, which are based on legacy technology that’s more than 50 years old.
YASA, in partnership with Mercedes Benz, are leading the way in EV Motor Revolution with the YASA Axial Flux Technology.
The YASA Motor is 4 times more powerful than the current technology used in all Electric Vehicles, as well as being 50% lighter and half the size.
The YASA Motor is also up to 98% efficient (over a WLTP drive cycle) which removes one of the key comprosises that has been holding back the adoption of Electric Vehicles.
Axial Flux Motors:
An electric leap forward.
YASA’s axial-flux design has efficiency at its core, offering efficiencies greater than 96% and an innovation roadmap to even greater efficiencies.
“I was five weeks into my PhD at Oxford University, when I suddenly realised there was a much better way to build an electric machine called a torus axial-flux motor. The insight I had was that by removing the motor’s stator yoke, and splitting it into segments, we could reduce the motor’s weight – and yet at the same time improve its torque, power density, efficiency and manufacturability, making it potentially transformative within the then nascent electrification industry.”
Axial flux motor: efficiency in motion
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. Torque equates to force multiplied by radius. With an axial-flux design there’s a larger radius than in a conventional radial motor, you get more torque for the same force. This means for the same permanent magnet and copper winding provision, you get more torque.
However, the YASA motor topology also removes the stator yoke, which reduces the stator iron mass by up to 80%. This innovation provides a significant power density advantage and a 5-10% range benefit over the radial electric motors on which most of today’s mass-market Electric Vehicles depend.
Uniquely, our axial-flux electric motors feature a proprietary ‘Yokeless And Segmented Armature’ (which, incidentally, is where we get the name YASA). YASA’s armature windings consist of separate segments ideally suited to mass manufacture with minimal application engineering.
Direct Oil Cooling
In addition, our direct oil cooling solution helps YASA motors achieve higher continuous power. A 200kW peak-power radial motor, run continuously, might typically give 50% of peak power between 80 and 100kW, as a result of thermal limitations. In contrast, a 200kW YASA motor runs continuously at 150kW thanks to the improved high-thermal-contact cooling oil offers. Consumers are demanding more performance from their Electric Vehicles (EVs). OEMs with EVs that offer a higher continuous rating, particularly in the premium vehicle segments and in highway drive cycles, have a significant market advantage.
These innovations – and many others – enable YASA’s electric motors and controllers to provide the greatest efficiencies and highest power and torque density in their class, for the smallest size and weight. YASA has a portfolio of patents covering the key subsystems (rotors and stator) of our unique axial-flux motor and controller design and their manufacture
Compared to the complex, multiple slot windings of conventional motors, YASA motor’s segmented armature lends itself to low-cost, serial production.
YASA’s axial flux approach uses less material such as copper, iron and permanent magnet, than conventional e-motors, resulting in a significantly lower BOM cost and a more environmentally-sustainable product.
The YASA topology is ideally suited to mass production, providing a smaller, lighter motor that will revolutionise electric propulsion in the EV sector.
A centre of manufacturing excellence
YASA’s production facility is located in Oxford – the UK’s automotive heartland, steeped in manufacturing history and engineering know-how.
Our production teams work intensively with our partners from custom designs and series production manufacture, bringing their world-leading engineering expertise and commitment to excellence and customer success to every project.
To read an interview with YASA’s founder and CTO, click here
Find out more about YASA
