YASA secures £15m growth funding, opens production facility

YASA, manufacturer of axial-flux electric motors and controllers has announced raising £15 million in growth funding.

Universal Partners joins Parkwalk Advisors and other existing investors in the round, bringing the total raised by the company to £35 million.

This £15 million investment follows YASA's signing of long-term development and supply agreements with customers in the automotive sector. The company has recently opened a new 100,000-unit capacity production facility in Oxford, UK to meet the growing demand for its products.

The facility will be officially opened on Thursday 1st February by the . A range of YASA-powered vehicles will be on display at the event, including cars from Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover and Williams Advanced Engineering.

YASA's innovative axial-flux electric motor design offers best-in-class power and torque densities and is ideally suited to both hybrid and pure electric vehicle applications. With YASA's technology, automotive manufacturers have greater design flexibility to improve vehicle performance whilst reducing vehicle weight.

YASA motors and controllers enable automotive manufacturers to meet increasingly stringent emissions targets whilst delivering exciting driving experiences. In addition to automotive, YASA motors are used in marine applications and in aerospace where high power density and torque density are critical.

The Company was founded in 2009, based on the research of YASA's founder and Chief Technology Officer Tim Woolmer during his PhD at Oxford University. YASA's axial-flux electric motors are typically half the size and a third the weight of their competitors "“ this means customers can build lighter hybrid and pure electric vehicles, with greater performance and range at a lower cost. YASA achieves this through the unique topology of their motor, using less copper and iron than conventional radial motors and by directly cooling the coils in the motor.

Dr. Chris Harris, YASA's CEO said, "Our customers are looking to adopt innovative new technologies such as YASA's axial-flux electric motors and controllers in order to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding hybrid and pure electric automotive market. This additional £15 million in growth funding will enable YASA to further invest in the volume production capacity necessary to meet our customers' requirements, and to address markets beyond automotive including aerospace and marine."

"Last year, for the first time, global sales of battery-powered electric and hybrid vehicles surpassed one million units. Currently, electric & hybrid vehicles sales represent 1% of the overall automotive market. However, analysts forecast that by 2025, this figure will rise to 25%. Large OEMs and Tier 1s are recognising that they need to adopt innovative new technologies "“ like YASA's electric motors and controllers "“ if they are to address the changing demands of automotive market. Our products are helping our customers meet ever more stringent emissions regulations whilst still providing exciting driving experiences."