UK-based YASA, the world’s leading manufacturer of axial-flux electric motors and controllers for hybrid and pure electric vehicles, has closed a £18-million (US$22 million) funding round. The new funding will enable the company to scale to meet rapidly growing customer demand from the automotive and aerospace sectors.

Existing investors Parkwalk Advisors and Universal Partners have been joined in the round by Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI) and Inovia Capital.

YASA P400 axial-flux electric motor

The Yokeless And Segmented Armature (YASA) topology is a type of axial flux motor that has no stator yoke, a high fill factor and short end windings which all increase torque density and efficiency of the machine. The topology is based around a series of magnetically separated segments that form the stator of the machine. The novel design is enabled by using powdered iron materials that enable complex magnetic parts to be manufactured easily. (Earlier post.)

YASA’s axial-flux electric motor and controller designs offer best-in-class power and torque densities and are suited to both hybrid and pure electric applications, allowing manufacturers to improve electric vehicle performance whilst reducing vehicle weight.

This news follows YASA’s announcement in May 2019 that a custom YASA motor powers Ferrari’s first hybrid series production sports car, the SF90 Stradale. The custom YASA motor in the SF90 Stradale is highly compact with a world-leading power density of 14kW/kg, allowing Ferrari to deliver unparalleled vehicle performance while reducing vehicle weight.