There's something uniquely charming about the way Tim Woolmer discusses electric motors. Despite the business suit, the tinges of grey in his hair, his rocketing reputation as one of Britain's foremost engineers and his unique position as an Oxford man who has made millions from selling his fledgling company to Mercedes-Benz, Woolmer's open and enthusiastic manner somehow still has 'student innovator' running right through it.
Show interest in his achievements and you will soon be swept into a discussion on the minutiae of electric motors and their future in cars - but the talk won't be about ordinary motors.
These are disc-shaped axial flow machines whose yokeless and segmented armature - the Yasa design-brings bold advances in compactness, efficiency, lightness and torque density to an arena that many engineers thought had achieved its design goals a century ago. Yasa motors have also helpfully provided a name for the company Woolmer launched - once he had completed an Oxford PhD, the goal of which was to unveil the technology's potential.
Yasa Motors Limited, the company, opened for business in 2009 in a university lab in central Oxford, slowly garnering small car industry clients in its first few years and concentrating on survival. It moved and expanded several times as business blossomed (with the help of early adopters like the 2012 Jaguar C-X75 concept and the 2015 Koenigsegg Regera production car) and the first serious investors arrived, and it is currently based in a recently built factory outside Oxford that can build motors in their thousands. Yet even this is just the beginning. Woolmer describes car electrification as "still in its infancy" and says more of Yasa's real potential will be revealed from a much bigger motor factory being built by Mercedes in Berlin.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 26, 2023-Ausgabe von Autocar UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 26, 2023-Ausgabe von Autocar UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
MG 4
An EV changes your driving style - but not to the detriment of pleasure
PEUGEOT E-208
Time with our French hatch is up. Is it good riddance or au revoir?
In the hot seat
Is the best automotive job in the world actually in miniature scale? Hot Wheels' design boss assures STEPHEN DOBIE it is
Correcting the record
Autocar invented the road test back in 1928 - or did we? KEITH JONES trawls the past to find the true starting point
Road test rebooted
As the Autocar road test forges into its second century, its brief is expanding and it's returning to a familiar place. MATT SAUNDERS explains
Cyber attack
MG is back on the international stage and now trying to return to its sports car roots. MATT SAUNDERS sees if the Cyberster EV can match up to a rival from the present and a relation from the past
KIA PICANTO
As rivals fall by the wayside, Kia's popular city car gets a makeover
MASERATI GRANTURISMO
Latest coupé in a long line of Maserati GT cars hits the UK with V6 power
PORSCHE CAYENNE GTS COUPE
New V8 model gets all the goodies
TOYOTA PRIUS
Back by popular demand with a cool new look and greater driver appeal