Electric motors are getting smaller, lighter, and a whole lot more powerful
July 18, 2025 at 13:10
- Yasa’s new axial flux motor weighs 13.1 kg and produces an incredible 738 hp.
- The British-based company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz.
- It supplies electric motors to brands such as Mercedes, Lamborghini, and Ferrari.
A new chapter in electric motor design may be underway, and it’s being written in the UK. Yasa Motors, based in Britain and owned by Mercedes, has developed a new electric motor that sets a new benchmark for power density. While there’s no official timeline for production yet, it’s a safe bet that upcoming Mercedes-Benz EVs will be among the first to take advantage of the breakthrough.
The numbers read like something out of a science fiction novel. Yasa claims that the electric motor weighs just 13.1 kg (28.8 lbs), yet it produces a remarkable 738 hp, a figure we usually associate with supercars. That easily outperforms the Equipmake HPM-400 motor from Australia, which is considered the most power-dense in the world, delivering 536 hp and weighing in at a much heftier 40 kg (88 lbs).
Read: This Concept EV Will Morph Into An AMG Super Sedan You Can Buy
Yasa’s new motor also makes the Dark Matter electric motor presented by Koenigsegg a couple of years ago seem relatively portly. That motor weighs in at 39 kg (86 lbs) and produces 800 hp and 921 lb-ft (1,250 Nm) of torque. It’s set to debut in the Gemera, but the contrast in weight suggests a shift in how high-performance EV components are engineered.
Speaking with Autocar, Yasa revealed that its new industry-leading motor does not contain any exotic materials like cobalt-iron laminations and litz wire. “What we’ve achieved here is not just a number – it’s a demonstration of scalable, production-ready innovation that raises the bar for electric motor design. And the most exciting part? We’re just getting started,” said Tim Woolmer, Yasa’s CTO and founder.
Yasa Motors Headed for the Road
The most recent car to premiere with Yasa motors is the Mercedes-AMG GT XX concept. It uses three axial flux motors to deliver more than 1,341 hp (1,000 kW) and will soon spawn a production model. Yasa also supplies Lamborghini with electric motors, including the Revuelto and most recently, the Temerario, the successor to the Huracan.
That setup uses two axial flux motors on the front axle, each producing 148 hp (110 kW) and 221 lb-ft (300 Nm), and weighing 17.3 kg (38 lbs) apiece. Impressive, but still overshadowed by the output-to-weight ratio of Yasa’s latest design.
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