Mercedes created a new revenue stream when it lent its AMG engines to cars that don’t have the fabled three-pointed star. You’ll find a V-12 in the Pagani Utopia, a V-8 in several Aston Martin models, and a four-cylinder mill in a Lotus Emira. There’s more to the story than this since several plug-in hybrid exotics borrow hardware from the German luxury brand. The difference here is that the technology was not developed by Mercedes or AMG.
A wholly owned Mercedes subsidiary since 2021, Yasa’s axial flux motors are fitted to both Lamborghini’s supercars: the V-12 Revuelto and the new V-8 Temerario. While the two have combustion engines of Volkswagen Group origins, the two electric motors installed at their front axles were engineered by the British company founded in 2009. The irony here is neither Mercedes nor AMG is selling a car with axial flux motors yet.
The performance division from Affalterbach is working on a dedicated AMG.EA platform set to underpin a swoopy sedan to replace the AMG GT Four-Door Coupe as well as a new large electric SUV. Both are expected to have Yasa’s axial flux motors. For the sake of accuracy, this technology has already been applied to a Mercedes since the 2023 Vision One-Eleven concept had a radial flux motor. It’s touted as having one-third of the weight and one-third of the size of a conventional electric motor while doubling torque.
Since we mentioned concept cars, the 2010 Jaguar C-X75 used a quad-motor Yasa setup. A few years later, an EV conversion of a Lola LeMans prototype set the electric land speed record for vehicles weighing less than 1,000 kilograms (2,204 pounds). The Lola-Drayson’s B12/69EV hit 204 mph (328 km/h) at the RAF Elvington in Yorkshire, UK, beating the previous record of 175 mph (282 km/h) that had stood for almost four decades.
Yasa’s motor weighs just 17.3 kilograms (38.1 pounds) and delivers a peak power of 148 hp and 221 lb-ft (300 Nm) in the Lamborghini models. The axial-flux motor is only 2.75 inches (70 millimeters) thick and has an 11.6-inch (295-mm) diameter. The oil-cooled motor has a maximum speed of 10,000 rpm. In the case of the Temerario, there’s a third Yasa motor mounted at the back. Revuelto also has a rear-mounted axial-flut motor but it’s supplied by Mahle instead.
The two Lamborghini models we mentioned are not the first road-going cars to use Yasa’s axial-flux motors. That title goes to the Koenigsegg Regera, which entered production in 2016. Ferrari’s SF90 Stradale and 296 GTB followed suit a few years later. Due next year, Maranello’s first EV is expected to use motors developed in-house.
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