Discussing Yasa’s rise from a University of Oxford PhD project to a supplier to some of the world’s most prominent supercar manufacturers, founder and technology chief Tim Woolmer told Autocar: “Ferrari said to us: ‘We cannot find a supplier on the planet that can fit a motor in the space [65mm] we have, because the engine crank is very low’.
“They physically couldn’t get the performance they wanted from any other product on the planet. That’s a nice piece of business, if you’re told that, because it means that you’re almost designed into their vehicle for life.”
Commercial director Andy North added: “Last year, something like 75% of Ferraris that came out of Maranello had a Yasa motor.”
Yasa executives suggested that the company has a similar arrangement with Lamborghini, with its motors being integral to the design of the Revuelto and Temerario.
Woolmer suggested that Yasa’s ultimate ambition is to become a byword for performance in the same vein as firms such as Brembo. He said: “They are the go-to people for high-performance brakes. There are a few brands like that in automotive, and we want Yasa’s brand to be synonymous with that, but equally with having the volume in the manufacturing to back it up.”
Yasa developing radical new in-wheel motor
In-wheel motors have become a focal point of EV development over the past two years, as new materials, designs and production techniques have mitigated concerns around the effects of adding unsprung weight.
Among the most prominent manufacturers of in-wheel motors is Surrey-based Protean.
But Woolmer revealed to Autocar that Yasa is also angling for a slice of the market, saying: “Probably in 12 to 14 months, we will be showing off our technology for the first time, and it will blow your socks off.”
He added that EVs are currently “in the 1930s”, comparing the benefits brought by in-wheel motors to the development of disc brakes by Dunlop and Jaguar in the early 1950s.
“I would guess in a significant period of time from now – 20, 30 or 40 years – that every electric car will have in-wheel motors. That would be my guess. But it will be a fairly bumpy road and very challenging to get there.”
