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YASA has secured grant funding from the UK Government to develop rare-earth-free and heavy-rare-earth-free axial flux electric motor technologies. The Project Resilience programme aims to develop motor technologies for future electric and hybrid vehicles that can meet different performance, packaging, cost and manufacturing requirements while reducing dependence on rare-earth materials.
Under the project, YASA will pursue two technology pathways. For high-performance battery-electric and hybrid vehicles, the company will develop heavy-rare-earth-free permanent-magnet motor designs aimed at maintaining high power density without increasing motor weight or package size. The second pathway will focus on fully rare-earth-free axial flux motor technology for vehicles with different performance and cost requirements.
Both technology pathways will use YASA common stator technology, enabling a modular motor architecture with different rotor technologies based on individual vehicle requirements. According to YASA, the project is intended to reduce risks linked to the geographically concentrated supply chains for rare-earth permanent magnets, including geopolitical uncertainty, export restrictions, price volatility and potential supply disruptions.
Project Resilience will be carried out at YASA engineering and development facilities in the UK. The project is being funded through the UK Government’s DRIVE35 Demonstrate competition, delivered in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK and Innovate UK. The DRIVE35 programme has £4 billion in grant funding available through 2035 for automotive R&D, scale-up and transformation. YASA has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group since 2021 and develops axial flux electric motors and power electronics for automotive applications.
