Capex-free motor energy-saving firm attracts £20m for global expansion

3 June 2025  

Energy Drive offers users of large electric motors the opportunity to cut their energy costs without any capital expenditure

A company that specialises in cutting energy costs for users of large motors has secured £20m of investment from UK-based Pears Partnership Capital to accelerate its global expansion. London-based Energy Drive, which was originally founded in South Africa, uses a combination of VSDs (variable-speed drives) sourced from commercial suppliers such as Rockwell and ABB, with its own proprietary technology, to cut the energy used by large motors in the mining and metals sectors by a claimed average of 43%, without requiring any capital expenditure by the end-user.

Energy Drive guarantees energy savings for medium- and low-voltage industrial motor applications. It signs long-term contracts with customers to implement its energy-saving systems, and takes responsibility for buying, installing and maintaining the equipment on-site. The installations are then monitored remotely and the data is compared with baseline consumption figures to provide verified savings available via an access-controlled Web page.

Energy Drive’s proprietary “E-Houses” use intelligent motor controls to optimise the energy use and performance of large motors automatically, while meeting operational and safety requirements. They incorporate automated bypass systems with motorised switching and isolation, and can switch between VSD and DOL control at voltages up to 11kV.

The systems are installed and operated as-a-service with no capital expenditure or maintenance costs for the operator. Energy Drive claims that is has already saved more than 1TWh of energy and 1 million tonnes of CO₂, SO₂ and NOx emissions for its customers, which include include ArcelorMittal, Glencore, Vale, NLMK, Sibanye-Stillwater and Liberty Steel.

For example, one user operates a site with two kilns that use hydrogen to reduce nickel oxide to pure nickel, with steam as a by-product. Each kiln uses two blowers to supply the hydrogen, with each blower powered by a 200kW, 3.3kV motor, for a total of 800kW. In 2022, Energy Drive installed four 200kW, 3.3kV VSDs at the site. Previously, the blower motors ran at full speed, with pulleys being used to vary the hydrogen flow.

The speed and flow rate were altered in fixed steps via the pulleys, which required the blowers and process to be stopped to make the changes. Following Energy Drive’s upgrade, the process now uses VSDs to vary the speed of the blower motors continuously to match the flow of hydrogen to the process requirements. The user has achieved energy savings of more than 2,200MWh, with zero capital outlay, and the two kilns are achieving average power reductions of around 60% and 70%. The installation has also reduced electrical and mechanical strain on the motors, and extended their service intervals.

Energy Drive was founded in South Africa in 2010, and launched its first projects in the UK in 2021. In 2023, it established a business in North America.

With the support of The Pears Family and Pears Partnership Capital, the company plans to accelerate its international expansion and to enter new industry sectors.

“I am excited to welcome Pears as an investment partner for Energy Drive,” says James Hynd, CEO of Energy Drive’s parent, Apogee Sustainability. “We share an ambition and long-term approach, committed to realising this significant growth opportunity.

“Our service reduces energy OpEx of key systems, with no initial capital investment required,” he adds. “We see an increasing demand across the globe for these services, as energy-intensive companies seek to reduce costs and cut emissions.”

Energy Drive:  LinkedIn