Most electric vehicles (EVs) today rely on radial flux electric motors, but growing interest in an axial flux architecture could set the industry on an alternative path. By having the magnetic flux flow parallel to the motor’s rotational axis instead of radially from the centre outward as in a radial flux design, axial motors offer significant efficiency and performance improvements.
“Not all electric motors are the same,” says Simon Odling, Chief of New Technology Development at UK e-motor specialist YASA. “The radial motor is a perfectly good solution and the most convenient today, but ultimately it is not the best solution.”