Royal Automobile Club salutes game-changing British electric motor technology with 2023 Dewar Trophy

The Royal Automobile Club’s Dewar Trophy was today awarded to YASA, for its revolutionary axial-flux electric motor – technology that puts Britain at the forefront of high-performance, zero-emission cars.

The Dewar Trophy has been associated with numerous British automotive design breakthroughs over many decades. At a packed luncheon reception today, it was presented to YASA founder and Chief Technology Officer Dr Tim Woolmer, inventor of a new kind of electric propulsion technology, the YASA axial-flux electric motor.  Scheduled to enter mass production in the next generation of Mercedes-Benz all-electric AMG cars from end of 2025.

The independent expert judges on the Dewar Technical Committee were hugely impressed with this new electric propulsion system, at the heart of which is an axial-flux electric motor significantly smaller and lighter than anything similar that’s existed before.

Dr Tim Woolmer said: “I had only just started my PhD at Oxford in 2005 when I conceived the idea of splitting components to save weight while also improving efficiency. Working with our British team, and now with the backing of Mercedes-Benz to help scale our technology, we are extremely proud to join the hallowed list of Dewar Trophy winners.”

YASA’s vision has always been to make electric cars as light and sustainable as possible by reducing the electric motor’s mass and use of materials – while simultaneously maximising its efficiency. YASA’s axial flux technology motors require just one third of the space, one third of the weight and delivers double the torque density. In addition to delivering a step-change in EV performance characteristics, YASA’s axial-flux electric motor is unlocking exciting new vehicle architectures, as seen in the recently launched Mercedes Vision One-Eleven concept.

The company has two thriving production sites in the UK, Oxford and Welshpool, Wales, and is working on a wide variety of future applications for next-generation electric vehicles.

Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Dewar Technical Committee, commented: “The Dewar Trophy was originally presented in 1906. It is awarded at the discretion of the Technical Committee of the Royal Automobile Club, in any calendar year when the committee considers there is a contender of sufficient merit. The list of past winners is a roll-call of leading names such as Dunlop, Triplex, Lucas, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, JCB, all of which encapsulate engineering brilliance. Now there is yet another to add. Led by Dr Tim Woolmer, YASA’s development of axial-flux motors captures the simple essence of this special award – an outstanding British technical achievement.”

“This is exactly what we have here today. It’s an engineering breakthrough that has evolved electric propulsion to the next level, and is likely to influence the cars we will drive in the future. YASA is also overturning the norms of materials technology and manufacturing processes, as it gears up to mass-produce its components. We heartily congratulate Tim and his restlessly ambitious team for what they’ve achieved.”