Last yr YASA, a British electrical motor startup with a revolutionary “axial-flux” motor, was acquired by Mercedes-Benz to develop ultra-high-performance electrical motors for Mercedes’s AMG.EA electric-only platform.
YASA’s axial-flux electrical motors had beforehand garnered a popularity for effectivity, excessive energy density, small measurement, and low weight.
However, the workforce behind YASA did one thing fairly intelligent. While Mercedes acquired that automotive rights, they handed on the rights to an aerospace model of the engine. That was taken up by a brand new entity, full with YASA’s founders, known as Evolito, to develop an electrical motor it described as ultra-high-performance, low-weight and finest for future EV plane.
Evolito’s lead traders are Waypoint Capital and Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE).
YASA’s ‘axial-flux’ motors makes them one-third the burden of different electrical motors, extra environment friendly, and with 3x greater energy densities than even Tesla’s, in keeping with the corporate.
It’s now emerged that former YASA CEO Dr. Chris Harris will lead Evolito on its path to commercialize electrical flight.
Chris Harris, Evolito
Harris joined YASA in 2012, scaling the corporate from 20 staff to greater than 300, following 15 years’ main different high-growth companies within the UK, Europe and US. He stepped down from his CEO position at YASA in September 2022, however will stay a Non-Executive Director on the wholly-owned Mercedes-Benz subsidiary. A director of Evolito for the reason that firm’s spin-out and incorporation, he now turns into Evolito CEO efficient instantly.
Evolito acquired UK battery firm Electroflight in July 2022, which suggests it could possibly additionally supply aerospace OEM & eVTOL clients fully-electric powertrain options.
In a press release, Harris stated: “Electric flight requires ultra high-power density, super low-weight electric powertrains. Evolito provides best-in-class powertrain solutions for OEMs, leveraging next-generation axial-flux electric motor technology that’s already proven in automotive.”
