Infinitum Electric reveals next-gen Aircore Mobility motor
Texas-based Infinitum Electric has announced Aircore Mobility, a next generation, axial flux propulsion and traction motor to power passenger and commercial electric vehicles, as well as aviation, marine, construction, agricultural machines and auxiliary applications. The Aircore Mobility motor is to be made available in Q2 2023.
The Aircore Mobility motor replaces the heavy, copper wound iron stator found in traditional motors with a lightweight, printed circuit board (PCB) stator. The company claims that compared to conventional motors, this is ten times more reliable, 10 per cent more efficient, 50 per cent smaller and lighter, and uses 66 per cent less copper.
“Our aircore motor topology eliminates core losses and delivers a broader range of speeds and load conditions where the motor can operate at high-efficiency levels,” said Paulo Guedes-Pinto, vice president of technology for Infinitum. “The Aircore Mobility motor offers a new avenue in extending range for Class 1-8 vehicles, aerospace, marine, construction and agricultural machines.”
For its Aircore Mobility motor, Infinitum has leveraged its PCB stator design so that it can achieve up to what the company says is four to five times the current density of a conventional, liquid-cooled motor using a liquid cooling technique. This allows the coolant to be in direct contact with the stator, mitigating heat across a larger surface area, which the company says enables high overload capability and extended life.
Infinitum Electric launched its IEs Series of motor systems in 2020. In May 2022, the Texas-based company secured $80 million in a Series D funding round. The company said at the time that it had already secured customer agreements with more than $900 million in “potential orders” from different companies in heavy industry, manufacturing, HVAC and transportation.
The makers say the next-gen motor is designed and manufactured with a circular lifecycle and is produced using fewer raw materials. Its modular design should allow the housing, rotors, and stators to be reused multiple times, which should enable the parts a second and third life.
