YASA is a British manufacturer of electric motors and motor controllers for use in automotive and industrial applications. The company was founded in 2009 by the CTO Dr Tim Woolmer who is also the holder of a number of related motor technology patents. Although initial commercial adoption was in high-performance cars, markets for YASA e-motors and generators now include the off-road, marine, industrial and aerospace sectors.

History

YASA Limited (formerly YASA Motors Limited) was founded in September 2009 to commercialise a permanent-magnet axial-flux electric motor (''YASA'' stands for ''Yokeless and Segmented Armature''). The motor was developed for the

Morgan LIFEcar The Morgan LIFEcar (''LI''ghtweight ''F''uel ''E''fficient ''Car'') was originally a fuel cell-powered electric vehicle project undertaken by Morgan Motor Company and startup company Riversimple. The goal of LIFEcar was a sports car that would ...

in 2008 by Dr Malcolm McCulloch and Dr Tim Woolmer, then a PhD student, at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. In 2015, YASA Motors launched the P400 Series of motors in serial production for volume manufacturers. In January 2018, YASA's 1st series production facility, capable of 100,000 units per year, was officially opened by Greg Clark, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. In May 2019, the company announced "Ferrari selects YASA electric motor for SF90 Stradale, the company's first hybrid production series supercar" On 22 July 2021 YASA Limited was acquired by Mercedes-Benz. Just before the acquisition, YASA spun out Evolito Ltd with the rights to develop the technology for aviation applications. On 21 May 2024, YASA received approval to establish its new headquarters at a former RAF base in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

Products and applications

YASA offer a range of off-the-shelf and custom motors for use in a number of applications such as electric (BEV) and

hybrid vehicle drivetrain Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power, and can come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but swi ...

, power generation and

hydraulics Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...

replacement systems.

Standard Motors and Controllers

YASA's standard electric motors have been used in several high-performance cars such as the Drive eO PP03 (the first EV to win the

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile Hillclimbing, hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. The track measures and has over 156 tur ...

outright), Jaguar C-X75,

Koenigsegg Regera The Koenigsegg Regera is a limited production, plug-in hybrid grand touring sports car manufactured by Swedish automotive manufacturer Koenigsegg. It was unveiled at the March 2015 Geneva Motor Show#2015, Geneva Motor Show. The name Regera is a ...

, and a

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Le Mans Prototype A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le M ...

converted by

Drayson Racing Drayson Racing (known as Drayson Racing Technology) was a British motor racing team founded by Paul Drayson to compete in the British GT Championship. Since then the team has run in the American Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series and the 24 H ...

, which set a world electric land speed record in 2013.

YASA P400R Series

The YASA P400R series of

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

s produces up to peak power at 700 V and of peak torque at 450 Amps. At this peak power, the off-the-shelf P400 Series achieves a

power density Power density, defined as the amount of power (the time rate of energy transfer) per unit volume, is a critical parameter used across a spectrum of scientific and engineering disciplines. This metric, typically denoted in watts per cubic meter ...

of , with continuous rating of up to . The

stator The stator is the stationary part of a rotary system, found in electric generators, electric motors, sirens, mud motors, or biological rotors (such as bacterial flagella or ATP synthase). Energy flows through a stator to or from the rotat ...

of the P400 series motors is oil cooled, and can optionally include additional air cooling.

YASA 750R

The YASA 750R is the larger and more powerful electric motor in YASA's standard range, producing up to of peak power at 700 V and of peak torque. Continuous operating power for the 750 R is stated at up to .

Custom Powertrain Solutions: E-Motors, Controllers & Integrated Electric Drive Units (EDU)

As well as standard products, YASA designs and manufactures e-motors that are fully integrated into the drivetrain of their OEM and Tier 1 automotive customers. The e-motors feature power densities up to in vehicle applications that include P2 Hybrid Vehicle Powertrain, P4 traction motor for e-axle and REx (range-extension).

References

External links

* {{Official website, www.yasa.com Engineering companies of the United Kingdom Engine manufacturers of the United Kingdom Manufacturing companies established in 2009 Electric motor manufacturers Electric vehicle industry Industrial machine manufacturers 2009 establishments in England British brands