Here is a nice video that explains axial flux motors with a factory visit
https://youtu.be/B2Hl4c1iZK0?si=VfDYARyuaPVj1nKm
They are so, so, small.
When these hopefully go to the next generation Formula E cars, we’ll see some crazy improvements in cornering. The newest generation already has active 4WD. I imagine this can bring even better torque adjustment improvements.
How do you know this for a fact? Chinese press releases? You've driven one? Some auto blogger drove one?
After world war 2 Gorbachev or whoever visited the United States and during that trio visited a supermarket. He thought it was a facade, possibly, put on just for him, there's no way Americans are this prosperous (or whatever, this good at agriculture, farm equipment, etc)
Also do the race cars have 4 wheel drive, or all-wheel drive? I'm wagering all-wheel with "torque vectoring" and "Yaw control", like a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.
Chinese EVs are leading and that doesn’t necessarily mean being the best, most advanced vehicles. They are leading in value/pricing, and in many regions they are leading in sales.
BYD sells almost double the EV volume of Tesla globally as of December 2025. They are objectively leading.
Personally I feel that the rest of the world continues to dramatically under estimate China’s progress and technological advancement at our own peril. Is there fluff and are their lots of untrue claims, of course, but that is certainly not something they have a monopoly on.
Edit.... Video doesn't seem to explain very well either
"In contrast to conventional radial flux motors, the electromagnetic flux in an axial flux motor runs parallel to the axis of rotation. The key components are arranged in a disc‑shaped layout: two rotors sandwich the stator from the left and right. This design enables an especially compact motor architecture, high power and torque density, and new freedoms in drivetrain packaging. In the new Mercedes‑AMG GT 4‑Door Coupe, the motor at the front axle is just under nine centimetres wide; the two motors at the rear axle each measure around eight centimetres in width. The three axial flux motors are integrated per axle into so‑called High Performance Electric Drive Units (HP.EDU), where they are combined with a compact input planetary gearbox in a single housing."
The original machine had a base plate of pre-famulated amulite surmounted by a malleable logarithmic casing in such a way that the two spurving bearings were in a direct line with the panametric fan. The latter consisted simply of six hydrocoptic marzlevanes, so fitted to the ambifacient lunar waneshaft that side fumbling was effectively prevented.
The main winding was of the normal lotus-o-delta type placed in panendermic semi-boloid slots of the stator, every seventh conductor being connected by a non-reversible tremie pipe to the differential girdle spring on the “up” end of the grammeters.
The turbo-encabulator has now reached a high level of development, and it’s being successfully used in the operation of novertrunnions. Moreover, whenever a forescent skor motion is required, it may also be employed in conjunction with a drawn reciprocation dingle arm, to reduce sinusoidal repleneration
Hand waving.
Edit: a video from them on this particular YASA tech being discussed : https://youtu.be/m507ryWhc6c
> In contrast to conventional radial flux motors, the electromagnetic flux in an axial flux motor runs parallel to the axis of rotation. The key components are arranged in a disc‑shaped layout: two rotors sandwich the stator from the left and right. This design enables an especially compact motor architecture, high power and torque density, and new freedoms in drivetrain packaging. In the new Mercedes‑AMG GT 4‑Door Coupe, the motor at the front axle is just under nine centimetres wide; the two motors at the rear axle each measure around eight centimetres in width. The three axial flux motors are integrated per axle into so‑called High Performance Electric Drive Units (HP.EDU), where they are combined with a compact input planetary gearbox in a single housing.
I wonder why they need tree motors per axle.
For the AMG GT4 there will be 3 motors: two at the rear, and one at the front.
My interpretation (and my German's pretty lousy) is that each motor is combined with a gear system in a single package, and they're calling the overall package (motor plus gears) a High Performance Electric Drive Unit (HP.EDU).
The two rear motors will probably be independent, so no need for a mechanical rear diff (it'll be electronically controlled).
There's no mention of a front diff, so it's unknown whether that's built into the front HP.EDU or is a separate mechanical diff).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VR5_engine
We owned an vw inline 5 Passat (quantum in North America). Good engine and synchro awd.
https://www.instructables.com/Designing-and-Building-an-Axia...
I expect radial will still dominate for at least another decade or so outside of premium performance focused cars. Radial has been battle-tested and proven. Axial still has a few more years to prove it's reliability in the field. Higher loads and stresses, tighter tolerances could make the axial motors less reliable overall especially at mass market trims. Mercedes is probably over-engineering for reliability and performance on the premium car
Radial is also "good enough" for most applications. The efficiency, form factor and weight improvements of axial is nice, but they aren't the limiting factor. Radial is already highly efficient, reasonably light and small. The real level for weight is the battery
Amazing what materials science achieving to get this sort of power as well as the engineering and manufacturing.
Personally I’d love to see this make it’s way into power tools and CNC motors.
This makes them kind of unsuitable for power generation and really high power motors (despite their power density) where the main way you get more power is just to spin really fast.
The other disadvantage is they have such a low amount of material in them, that the stator overheats really easily. And the topology of the motor makes it really difficult to get the heat out efficiently, which again limits their maximum power.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31701133 Inside Yasa: how a British firm is revolutionising electric cars (2 points | 0 comments)
For example, can a car with 200kW propulsion have a 400kW regen (Tesla has upto 65) and are cost effective like friction brakes?
At the motor level it should be the same, in propulsion you’re converting current to torque and in regen you’re converting torque to current, with the same hardware. The high voltage wiring is the same and will set the same limit on current regardless of direction.
I believe bidirectional inverters are generally symmetrical as well, so that should not be a factor.
Which I reckon leaves two factors:
1. Battery C rates, afaik pretty much all chemistries have a higher discharge rate than charge rate, especially when trying to maintain them for a long time, so by that account regen power would at most be the same as propulsion (if the entire power train is sized for the battery’s charging rate).
2. Artificial limitations, obviously you could always artificially under-prop, though that seems unlikely outside of niche applications.
tldr: I don’t think so, except on a technicality (that you can artificially hobble propulsion).
If you’re not caught up https://youtu.be/m507ryWhc6c?si=Hq3dfjXYxEIlYzeo
Brought to you by the only country to have a space programme and abandon it.
I mean, so did France; they both essentially folded theirs into ESA.
For late stage? Continental Europe has its banks and industrial policy. America and China have their deep pockets. Scaling out of the UK is incredibly hard, doubly so post Brexit, that’s why they sell early.
https://www.uktech.news/funding/late-stage-funding-surges-as...
Regarding AI (since that's the hot thing of the day), but IMO indicator of where the money is:
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/funding-ai-...
[In the EU] "Most late-stage capital comes from the US and UK."
Now, regarding YASA, it isn't surprising that they were acquired by a car manufacturer. And, well, the UK has virtually none at this point...
UK has City of London that dwarfs the banks of continental Europe. we're talking big banks, Fintech, HFT, etc. When you deal with Austrian banks you realize they're 10-20 years behind the UK.
> and industrial policy
Continental Europe has a large but somewhat inefficient(compared to Asia) and heavily subsidized industrial policy, acting more a a jobs program for politicians chasing votes and state subsidies, that the UK gave up on during Thatcher(for better and worse), and stayed in the niche, low volume but highly important aerospace and defense parts that dwarfs that of continental Europe.
Ofc that also means the labor market in UK is very K-shaped. Highly paid skilled niche jobs in London and the university research centers, and then a wasteland everywhere else.
What is the current market sentiment? Share of EVs is slowly rising so having a good motor as important as ever.
Is Mercedes stupid?
How did Carl Benz dare to do something as hideously complicated as building the first gasoline-powered car in history?
And why did they kept inventing complicated stuff that ended in all modern cars like ABS, adaptive cruise control, direct fuel injection, emergency brake assist, etc, etc?
My main gripe with MB is that they have this new technology that could simplify things and let them build a better product. Instead of building around it, they shove it in to their existing designs. I was expecting an electric S class to be more akin to a Lucid Air sans the teething problems of a new company. Instead, we get weak attempts at solving non issues.
And whilst they are certainly not in the market of producing affordable vehicles, I would hope that using EV tech they could create a better version of their existing fleet. I do not think anyone buying an A class cares about the 4 popper under the hood - losing it and simplifying radically, in my mind at least, would give them more budget and leeway to create a more compelling product.
> "instead of applying engine breaking when the driver takes their foot off the pedal, they went to great lengths to _move the break pedal_ in proportion to the amount of engine breaking that is currently being applied as per the VCUs command"
There may also be a sports-related reason for people who habitually left-foot brake.
Every other manufacturer has managed to control regen breaking via throttle modulation - even ICE hybrid cars have been doing that for ages.
Regenerative braking is very different to taking your foot off the accelerator in a conventional ICE car, it's much more powerful a stopping force than traditional engine-braking.
I understand the rationale for moving the pedal to illustrate the amount of "braking" force. I'll admit I'm not exactly a typical driver though.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Wiesloch_Stadtapotheke_E...
