UK in-wheel motor delivers ‘world-beating’ torque
28 August 2024 
The UK-headquartered electric vehicle motor developer Protean Electric claims that its latest in-wheel motor (IWM) with an integrated inverter delivers an “industry-leading” peak torque of 1.5kNm in its 18-inch diameter format. Extensive testing has shown that the Generation 5 motor will operate for at least 300,000km and 15 years, and survive harsh conditions such as pothole impacts and operating in water.
“In-wheel motors are a critical component to the future of the electric vehicle industry,” says Protean CEO, Andrew Whitehead. “The availability of an industrialised Pd18 positions Protean Electric at the forefront of the market. This technology will allow vehicle manufacturers to adopt in-wheel-motors at scale and at an affordable price, as they seek to differentiate their product offering in an increasingly crowded electric vehicle market.”
The 60kW continuous (90kW peak) motor weighs 36kg, and can power vehicles weighing up to 4,500kg, propelling them at speeds of up to 225km/h. It has a modular design, allowing rapid development of new variants such as those with built-in or external inverters. 400V DC versions of the motor available now, with 800V models due by the end of 2024.
As part of the development process, Protean tested more than 80 motors, putting them through 64 test programmes.
The motors are being produced at Protean’s factory in China and are already being shipped to OEMs.
Farnham-based Protean has had a chequered history. It was founded in 2009 after the UK pancake motor pioneer, PML Flightlink, entered administration. In 2019, it was acquired by National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), a subsidiary of the Chinese Evergrande Health group. NEVS had been created from the assets of Saab Automobile following its bankruptcy in 2012.
Evergrande subsequently got into financial difficulties, leading to Protean being acquired in 2021 by the Bedeo Group, a UK company specialising in transport electrification technologies. Bedeo (formerly BD Auto), founded in 2009 by Osman Boyner, has its headquarters in the UK, with manufacturing operations in Turkey and China. As well as in-wheel motors, it supplies inverters, battery packs and cabling.
Protean Electric has more than 700 person-years of IWM development experience. It holds more than 320 patents globally, and has operations in the UK, China, Turkey and the US.
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