Unique British electric motors that slash size and weight and produce more power than rival machines are the heart of Mercedes-AMG’s new EV super-saloon – and Auto Express has the lowdown from their inventor.
Oxford graduate Tim Woolmer founded Yasa in 2009 to commercialise the axial flux electric motor he designed for his PhD. Almost a decade later, he clinched a deal for Yasa to supply Ferrari’s SF90 hybrid, and last week Auto Express toured the all-new £12million Oxfordshire factory also producing e-motors for Lamborghini and McLaren.
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In a great British success story, Yasa motors provide the electric punch for hybrid supercars the Ferrari 296 GTB, Lamborghini Revuelto and Temarario and McLaren Artura. The new factory is scaling up to produce 25,000 motors a year.
Another major breakthrough comes this summer when Yasa starts powering its first pure electric production car, the AMG GT 4-Door – although its motors will be produced in Berlin following Mercedes’ acquisition of Yasa in 2021.
“The first cars we launch with Mercedes will be full EVs and we’re really excited,” chief technology officer (CTO) Woolmer exclusively told Auto Express. “I’ve been driven in one – it’s going to be fantastic.”
