In the EV arms race, we’ve gotten used to bold claims: record-shattering motors, range numbers that sound like wishful thinking, charging tech that promises to “change everything.” But every once in a while, something genuinely disruptive rolls onto the stage. Mercedes’ subsidiary Yasa just unveiled one of those somethings.
A month after revealing an absurdly compact, absurdly powerful 12.7-kilogram axial-flux electric motor, the company is back with a bigger, stranger, and potentially industry-shifting announcement:
This motor may allow EVs to ditch their rear brakes entirely.
A Motor That’s Lighter Than Your Backpack—and Stronger Than a Supercar
Axial-flux motors are already known for wild power density, but Yasa’s new unit raises the bar. The company claims an unofficial record of 59 kW (80 hp) per kilogram, a figure that makes most conventional EV motors look like they’re skipping leg day.
Peak output? 1,020 horsepower.
Continuous output? Between 476 and 543 hp, depending on configuration.
And it pairs with Yasa’s own 15-kg dual inverter, forming a powertrain module that seems tailor-made for next-gen hypercars.
But the real twist is where Yasa wants to put it.
The Return of the Wheel Motor — But This Time It Might Actually Work
In-wheel motors aren’t new. They’ve been teased for years but rarely adopted because they’re typically heavy, unsophisticated, and murderous to unsprung mass. Yasa thinks it has cracked that problem.
By integrating its featherweight axial motor directly into the wheel assembly, the company says it can produce so much regenerative braking that physical rear brakes may not even be necessary. Not reduced. Not downsized. Deleted.
That’s not just an engineering party trick. Eliminating rear brakes — and possibly the entire rear axle assembly in some architectures — represents a stunning weight reduction:
- Up to 200 kg saved on current platforms
- Up to 500 kg saved on ground-up EV designs
For context, that’s roughly the curb weight difference between a Tesla Model 3 and a base Porsche 911.
Range Gains and New Design Freedom
According to Simon Odling, Yasa’s Head of New Technologies, the breakthrough isn’t just about shedding hardware. It’s also about capturing far more energy during braking — energy that currently turns into heat in EV brake pads.
More regen means more watt-hours back into the battery and, therefore, more range. And with huge mechanical components gone, designers suddenly have real freedom: new battery pack layouts, new aerodynamic concepts, cleaner underbodies, and optimized suspension kinematics.
In other words, this isn’t just a new motor. It’s a potential shift in the EV blueprint.
Where You’ll See It First
Mercedes-AMG will be the first to deploy Yasa’s axial-flux motors in upcoming high-performance EVs — specifically the all-electric AMG GT 4-Door sedan and SUV.
But don’t expect in-wheel motors on those models. They’ll use a traditional setup: one motor up front and two out back. Yasa’s in-wheel aspirations appear aimed beyond the near-term AMG lineup, toward next-generation platforms still being developed.
The EV world has been talking about reduced mechanical complexity for a decade. Yasa wants to take that idea to its logical extreme:
Let the motor do everything.
Drive the wheels. Slow the car. Capture the energy. Save the weight.
If the technology performs in the real world the way it does on paper, the EV landscape is about to get a lot lighter, more efficient, and maybe just a little weirder — in the best possible way.
Source: Mercedes-Benz