YASA’s Cutting-Edge Axial Flux EV Motors May Come to Broader EV Market

On May 13, 2025, YASA officially opened its fully upgraded manufacturing facility in Yarnton, near Oxford, following a £12 million investment aimed at transforming electric motor production in the UK. This milestone cements YASA’s position as a global leader in cutting-edge axial flux electric motor technology, with expanded production capacity now set to exceed 25,000 units annually. The new 60,000-square-foot facility is the world’s most advanced axial-flux electric motor plant and the first of its kind in the UK—designed to deliver motors with up to four times the performance of conventional electric motors currently on the road.

YASA’s upgraded facility integrates all stages of the production process under one roof, streamlining operations into a highly automated and precision-driven manufacturing ecosystem. New technologies include four state-of-the-art coil and bar manufacturing cells, CNC coil winding and assembly, advanced laser stripping and brazing systems, high-capacity ovens, stator laser welding, and comprehensive quality testing protocols. These enhancements not only increase efficiency and throughput but also improve product repeatability and component reliability. The design improvements directly address previous bottlenecks in the supply chain, allowing for greater flexibility in production and the creation of complete motor sets at scale.

This high-tech expansion builds on YASA’s legacy of innovation and its ongoing relationship with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), which supported the original development of the Yarnton site. While the recent upgrade was privately funded, YASA continues to collaborate with the APC to advance future generations of axial flux technology. With this cutting-edge facility now operational, YASA is reinforcing the UK’s role as a hub for advanced electric propulsion systems, pushing the boundaries of performance, sustainability, and manufacturing excellence in electric vehicle technology.

Tim Woolmer, YASA CTO and founder, commented: “With a multi-million-pound investment into our Yarnton facility, we have transformed our manufacturing capability and significantly accelerated our production capacity. This latest initiative will enable us to apply our technology with even greater accuracy, pace and scale. Combined with YASA’s position as part of the Mercedes-Benz Group, the factory transformation consolidates YASA’s role as a global leader in developing high-performance, high-efficiency axial-flux e-motors.

“As a company, we have come a long way since our humble origin as an Oxford University start-up. However, we are still driven by the same passion, spirit and determination to create the world’s most advanced electric mobility technology solutions,” continued Woolmer.

YASA’s Axial Flux Breakthrough May Signal a Trickle-Down Revolution in EV Performance

ASA, now a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group following its 2021 acquisition, is setting the stage for a transformation in electric vehicle (EV) propulsion through its breakthrough axial flux motor technology. Already powering some of the world’s most exclusive performance cars—including models from Ferrari and Lamborghini—YASA’s motors are delivering unmatched power density, compactness, and efficiency. While axial flux designs have long promised superior performance compared to traditional radial flux motors, they were once dismissed as commercially unviable for mass production. YASA has shattered that assumption.

By rethinking the motor’s magnetic architecture and arranging its components into simplified “pole-pieces,” the Oxfordshire-based company has achieved what many in the industry thought impossible: scalable manufacturing of axial flux motors. Commercial director Andy North emphasized in an interview with the BBC that YASA is “really on the cutting edge of performance,” and that this innovation is helping redefine what’s possible in vehicle electrification. The lessons being learned in high-performance applications are expected to ripple outward. “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,” added CEO Tim Woolmer.

This “trickle-down” path has been a well-worn one in the auto industry, and figures like Andy Palmer—widely known as the Godfather of EVs for his work at Nissan—see the same trajectory playing out with YASA’s technology. “Generally new technology is expensive because it’s low volume,” Palmer told the BBC. “But it tends to start therefore on the high-end cars and the sports cars… [and] will trickle down into your everyday car.”

YASA’s advancements, combined with the newly upgraded Yarnton facility, are poised to help bridge the gap between high-performance EVs and the broader mass-market future. As production scales and costs fall, the superior performance and efficiency of axial flux motors could eventually power the next generation of everyday electric vehicles—making cutting-edge technology more accessible than ever.