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Axial-flux motor-maker attracts £4.2m to help it expand
Published:  16 June, 2017

An Oxfordshire-based developer of efficient, high-power motors has raised more than 70% of the £5.85m it needs to expand its activities. Saietta develops and manufactures axial-flux motors. The £4.2m raised so far values the company at £24m.

Saietta claims that its motors are already used in more than 80% of the world’s electric racing motorbikes, and also powered the first manned electric aircraft to cross the English Channel as well as the first manned electrically-powered helicopter.

The company sees considerable potential for its motors in lightweight vehicles, such as motorcycles and auto-rickshaws, with more than 46 million of these vehicles coming onto the roads every year, and increasingly turning to electric power. Another attraction is that development cycles for such vehicles are much shorter than for cars. Saietta believes that there is also a large potential market for retrofitting its compact motors to existing auto-rickshaws.

In addition to Saietta Engineering, which develops and produces the motors, generators, controllers and drivetrains; the Saietta Group also includes Saietta Motorcycles, which designs, manufactures and sells electric roadbikes; and Saietta Racing, which tests the products in race conditions and sells specialist race motorcycles, motors and controllers.

Saietta claims that its axial-flux motors out-perform many rivals in terms of delivering high power at a relatively low cost

Saietta’s is producing its axial-flux, air-cooled DC motors and generators in both brushed and brushless versions. The brushed motors currently range from 12V models with continuous outputs of 0.9kW (1.7kW peak) and a torque rating of 16.3Nm, to 72V models with outputs of 13.1kW (19.3kW peak) and torque ratings of 36.3Nm. The 200mm-diameter motors weigh 11kg.

The company is planning a range of brushless motors that will operate at much higher continuous power levels, higher efficiencies and in adverse thermal environments, where brushed motors may not be suitable.