This Brit-built in-wheel electric motor makes over 1,000bhp despite weighing just 12.7kg

Here’s a story that’ll make you feel proud to be British. Oxfordshire-based electric motor manufacturer YASA recently broke an unofficial world record for the power density of – you guessed it – an electric motor. And now, it has confirmed said motor is part of a revolutionary in-wheel electric powertrain system.

“In-wheel motors are the major challenge and opportunity for EVs, but until now, technology has been too heavy, limited in torque and not powerful enough,” said Tim Woolmer, YASA founder and big boss.

“This concept technology breakthrough is compact, powerful and light enough to be positioned inside the wheel of an EV, and it is the world’s first mass-neutral in-wheel motor, enabling up to 750kW per wheel. Combined with a new YASA-developed inverter, it results in a fully integrated prototype in-wheel electric vehicle powertrain, which will bring about a step change in weight reduction, performance and efficiency.”

Bold claims, but then that 750kW figure translates to 1,006bhp in old money, so we’re talking serious output at each wheel. Oh, and the power density? Well, the prototype motor only tips the scales at a featherweight 12.7kg. Good grief.

For context, Koenigsegg's Dark Matter motor - revealed a couple of years ago - weighs 39kg and makes 789bhp.

YASA says this new motor will be paired with a 15kg dual inverter (which is also designed and developed in-house) in order to make up the in-wheel powertrain. It also claims this can “unleash a whole host of game-changing benefits for future electric vehicles”.

One of those benefits could be rather dramatic, because the motor is also able to deal with so much regen that it could potentially negate the need for rear brakes. Imagine that in a 1,000bhp+ hypercar. Yasa reckons ground-up designs using this in-wheel tech could save around 500kg compared to current EV setups, with no need for discs or driveshafts.

Apparently a fully functional in-wheel prototype powertrain is currently undergoing development and testing, and Yasa reckons it “is not just for ultra-powerful hypercars, but for all performance EV applications”.

Worth remembering here that the UK company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz since 2021, but it also supplies its motors to Ferrari for the SF90 and Lamborghini for both the V12 Revuelto and V8 Temerario hybrids.