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Magnax raises €20m to boost development of axial-flux motors
Published:  26 August, 2022

The Belgian axial-flux motor developer Magnax has raised a further €20m of funding which it plans to use to accelerate product development, expand its engineering team, and enhance support for its customers and partners. The latest funding, from two new investors, brings the total capital raised by Magnax to date to €36m.

The company’s mission is to accelerate the development of electric vehicle powertrains and aerospace propulsion systems based on its yokeless axial-flux motor technology. It claims that its patented single-stator, dual-rotor axial-flux motors are the most effective and efficient motors available. The thin “pancake” motors deliver up to a four times more volumetric torque density than traditional radial-flux motors.

The Belgian company says it has made innovations in areas such as direct cooling of the windings, high-speed rotors, and automated manufacturing which result in an “exceptional” combination of high power density and easy manufacturability. The patented cooling system uses oil to cool the motor windings directly and uniformly, resulting in lower stator temperatures than any other technology and eliminating hotspots, according to Magnax.

The company’s motors need much less iron, 20% less magnetic material, and one third of the copper of a traditional radial-flux motor, and weigh one third to a quarter as much. Because magnets and copper represent more than 40% of the cost of producing an electric motor, mass-produced axial-flux motors should be cheaper and more cost-effective, as well as delivering more torque and power for the same volume.

Magnax has set up two spin-off companies: Traxial, which will focus on land-based e-mobility applications for its technology; and Axyal, which will focus on aerospace propulsion systems.

Magnax’s latest funding comes as axial-flux motors have been in the news following Mercedes-Benz’s acquisition last year of the UK axial-flux motor developer, Yasa. Mercedes is planning to use Yasa-designed motors, manufactured in Berlin, in electric versions of its AMG high-performance vehicles.

Magnax was founded in 2015, originally to develop axial-flux generators for wind turbines. Two years later, the company changed its focus to developing axial-flux motors for vehicles. Last year, it set up a pilot production line for its machines.

A Magnax axial-flux motor undergoing tests

Magnax: LinkedIn

TraxialTwitter  LinkedIn

Axyal: LinkedIn