From Pancake to Powerhouse - These Little Motors Are Making Huge Difference
Image Credit: YASA.
I wanna talk about a sensible little thing called the electric motor, that is about to turn the automotive world on its head. Actually, to be precise - on its side. I'm talking about the unassuming, flat-as-a-pancake, yet surprisingly potent axial flux motor. And before you nod off, these are the ones that have caught the eye of folks at Lamborghini and Ferrari. Have I got your attention?
For decades, we've had our radial flux motors, churning away, doing their respectable duty. Perfectly fine, really. Like a good, reliable sedan. But then, a bunch of brainy blokes (and presumably, some equally brainy ladies) from Oxford University, back in 2009, decided they could do better.
Image Credit: YASA.
They spun off a company called YASA, and for the past decade and a half, they've been poking and prodding and generally making a nuisance of themselves with this axial flux concept. The idea of an axial flux motor has been floating around since the days of Michael Faraday and Nikola Tesla. Proper old-school stuff. But actually making them work, and more importantly, making them work reliably and in quantity? That was the sticky wicket.
But it seems YASA has finally cracked the code. After some early tinkering, a few racing prototypes (where else would you test something this revolutionary?), and some aftermarket kits (for the truly adventurous amongst us), their motors finally made their grand debut in the Koenigsegg Regera. If you know anything about Koenigsegg, you'll know they don't mess about with anything less than cutting-edge.
Ferrari SF90 powertrain. Image Credit: YASA.
So, that was a pretty good endorsement right there. Then, Ferrari started using YASA motors in their SF90 and then the 296 GTB hybrid. And, just to really put a bow on it, Mercedes-Benz, not exactly a shrinking violet when it comes to engineering, went and bought YASA in 2021. So, yeah, I'd say they've been busy.
The latest news from the YASA camp: they've just flung open the doors to what they're calling a "super factory" in Yarnton, just outside Oxford, in the UK. And when I say "super," I mean they've poured a rather substantial $16 million into this place. The aim? To pump out over 25,000 of these pancake-shaped powerhouses every year. That's a lot of little motors.
Image Credit: YASA.
The upgraded facility spans a rather impressive 60,000 square feet, and is apparently the most advanced axial-flux electric motor manufacturing facility on the planet. Given YASA's track record, I'm rather inclined to believe them. They've brought all the messy bits of production under one roof, with fancy new machinery and automation that probably makes a Swiss watch factory look like a kindergarten art class.
According to Andy North, YASA's commercial director, all this wizardry is about making their electric propulsion systems more compact and lightweight, leaving those old radial flux motors gathering dust in the corner.
Lamborghini V8 with YASA motor. Image Credit: YASA.
YASA claims their slimline axial flux motors can deliver up to four times more torque and pack double the power density compared to your run-of-the-mill radial flux motors. And they weigh 50% less and are a whopping 80% thinner. Imagine that! A motor that's practically a frisbee, yet it's got the muscle of a bodybuilder on a protein shake binge.
For instance, one of their specific motors, currently under Mercedes's ownership, weighs in at 53 pounds but kicks out an astounding 480 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. That's a power density of 14.7 kilowatts per kilogram! If you were to drop that into, say, a golf cart, you'd probably be pulling wheelies all day.
Image Credit: Lamborghini.
And the Italian connection? It's glorious. YASA has been working hand-in-glove with Lamborghini as they embark on their electric journey. Yup, even the purveyors of ear-splitting V12s have to acknowledge the electric future, even if it's through gritted teeth and a rather large sigh. Their new High Performance Electrified Vehicle (HPEV) family is benefiting directly from these compact YASA e-machines.
Take the Lamborghini Temerario, for example. This beast relies on three YASA motors, each delivering 148 horsepower. These little wonders, weighing just 38 pounds each and providing 221 pound-feet of torque, work in harmony with the twin-turbo V8 engine to produce a total system output of 907 horsepower. Think about that for a second. Three electric pancakes, each weighing less than a small suitcase, contributing a colossal chunk of power to an already powerful engine. It really is like strapping jet engines to a bicycle.
Image Credit: Ferrari.
And then there's the Ferrari 296 GTB. It uses a single YASA motor paired with Ferrari's twin-turboed 3.0-liter V6 pushing the total system output to 819 horsepower. And a significant chunk of the instant, grin-inducing 656 lb-ft of torque, comes from that little axial flux wonder. The SF90 Stradale was the first Ferrari to use YASA motors - three of them to be exact, contributing 220 horsepower to SF90’s 1,000 total.
From time to time, we might shed a nostalgic tear for the days of pure internal combustion, but it's hard to deny the sheer ingenuity at play here. These axial flux motors from YASA are making electric cars faster, lighter, and more compact, and they are paving the way for truly mind-bending performance. Who knew a pancake could be so exciting?
