YASA Installs Its Record-Setting Axial Flux Motor Into an In-Wheel Powertrain Boasting 1,000 Bhp per Wheel

Less than two months after shattering its own unofficial power density record, YASA has revealed the first real-world application of its next-generation axial flux motor: an in-wheel electric powertrain capable of delivering up to 1,000 bhp per wheel. The prototype marks a leap toward EVs with power levels once reserved for aircraft, not roadgoing machines.

YASA’s engineering philosophy is unusual in an industry obsessed with fresh diagrams and futuristic geometries. The company has instead returned to early 19th century motor concepts and re-forged them with modern materials and computational design. The result is a family of axial flux motors compact enough to live inside a wheel yet powerful enough to redraw expectations for electric drivetrain performance.

This summer, YASA announced an unofficial world record after its axial flux prototype produced 550 kW from a 13.1 kg package, achieving 42 kW per kilogram, double today’s industry standard. In October, the company raised its own bar again. A lighter 12.7 kg prototype recorded 750 kW short-term peak output on a more powerful dynamometer, reaching 59 kW per kilogram and tripling the performance density of the best radial flux motors available, which are currently used in consumer EVs.

Now, YASA has placed that record-setting hardware inside a wheel. The prototype is described as the world’s first “mass neutral” in-wheel motor, a system whose compactness and power density counterbalance the weight typically added by moving a motor to the wheel hub. Each motor can deliver up to 750 kW, or over 1,000 bhp, per wheel. For context, many high-performance EVs using three radial motors achieve similar combined output.

The implications are massive. Four wheels equipped with YASA’s motors could theoretically summon nearly 4,000 bhp. Tires, frames, and driveline control systems would enter unfamiliar territory, where torque behaves less like a mechanical force and more like a hurricane.

Supporting the motor is YASA’s new 15 kg dual inverter, rated at 1,500 kW and achieving 100 kW per kilogram, another benchmark well above the 50 to 70 kW per kilogram norms of today’s EV power electronics. Together, they form a fully integrated in-wheel electric powertrain.

Tim Woolmer, YASA’s founder and CTO, highlighted the significance.

“In-wheel motors are the major challenge and opportunity for EVs, but until now, technology has been too heavy, limited in torque and not powerful enough. This breakthrough is compact, powerful and light enough to be positioned inside the wheel of an EV… enabling up to 750 kW per wheel. Combined with a new YASA-developed inverter, it results in a fully integrated prototype in-wheel powertrain that will bring a step change in weight reduction, performance and efficiency,” said Woolmer.

Beyond raw power, YASA says the regenerative capability of the system could shrink rear brake systems or possibly eliminate them. The prototype is already compact, scalable, cost oriented and customizable for multiple EV configurations.

CEO Joerg Miska added: “Our new in-wheel electric powertrain is a first for YASA and another example of how we are continuing to push the electrification envelope… It is the gateway to lighter, more efficient and higher-performance electric vehicles.”

YASA plans to share further updates on the in-wheel powertrain program in 2026.

EVinfo.net’s Take: YASA’s Breakthrough Signals Another Leap in Fast-Progressing EV Technology

In May 2025, EVinfo.net reported on YASA’s opening its fully upgraded manufacturing facility in Yarnton, near Oxford, following a £12 million investment aimed at transforming electric motor production in the UK. At the time, YASA CEO Woolmer spoke about how YASA’s groundbreaking technology would make its way to everyday EVs at some point.

“Whilst really being used in the niche sports car sector today, over time we will see that filter through to Mercedes-AMG vehicles, and then into the automotive sector more broadly,” said Woolmer.

By taking its record setting axial flux motor and placing it directly inside a wheel, the company has delivered a glimpse of what transportation may look like when power, efficiency and imagination converge.

For consumers, the translation is simple. The era of compromise between performance and efficiency is nearing its end. Vehicles powered by next generation electric architectures will feel sharper, cleaner and astonishingly quick.

The industry has been racing forward for more than a decade, but moments like this remind us that electric technology still has uncharted territory ahead. YASA’s breakthrough is not merely a milestone. It is a signal flare illuminating where the road is heading and how fast we may travel once we get there.

With each new model release, EV ranges are increasing, while charging time is decreasing. EVs are already faster than gas sportscars and racecars, as in September 2025, the all-electric Yangwang U9 Xtreme officially reached a staggering 308.4 miles per hour, making it the fastest production car in the world.

All of this means that with each new progression in EV technology, and with each new model release, EVs are becoming more attractive to buyers around the world. Electrified vehicles now make up 43% of global auto sales as of Q1 2025, rising up astoundingly fast from just 9% in 2019. China accounts for more than half of global BEV sales, with Europe and the especially the U.S. trailing far behind, a situation made worse in 2025 by federal government mistakes. American voters have a chance to undo these mistakes by voting for and supporting forward-thinking candidates who support EVs and clean energy at the US midterm elections on November 3, 2026.