Earlier this month we looked at the Flying Whales airship, a hugely ambitious project if ever there was one. A small but critical piece of that floating puzzle, the Evolito axial flux motor – or all 32 of them – will be responsible for powering the big, bloated behemoth forward.
Deriving directly from the electric motor technology that rather spectacularly set speed records on land, on different land, on water and in the air, the flat-packed Evolito machine will bring world-beating levels of power-to-weight to set the course for the largest hunk of manmade mass floating the friendly skies.
You may or may not be familiar with the name Evolito, but its originator YASA has definitely made a name for itself in and beyond the automotive industry. It was YASA’s motors that set those afore-linked world records, dominating every medium in which they applied torque.
Founded in 2009 as a spinoff out of research begun at Oxford University, YASA has done some serious heavy lifting in the refinement of yokeless axial flux technology, both in terms of the motor topology itself and the manufacturing strategies and processes necessary to make it a viable reality.
Compared to far more common radial flux motors, axial flux motors essentially flip the magnetic field on its side, operating via magnetic flux that runs in parallel to the motor axis. This orientation utilizes flat rotor(s) that ultimately create a large torque-increasing radius in a package that’s slimmer and lighter than the cylindrical radial flux layout.
Evolito
While axial flux configurations date back to Michael Faraday’s very first electric motor from 1821, their advantages long recognized, they’ve been plagued by problems with materials, consistent operation, durability and cost-effective manufacturing. Those issues have ultimately resulted in radial flux domination.
But as electric vehicles have gained momentum, interest in lighter, more power-dense axial flux motors has been running high, leading companies like YASA to apply serious R&D to developing high-performance motors and viable manufacturing methods.
While electric automobiles are one obvious use for a more compact, lightweight and power/torque-dense motor, axial flux advantages are an even better fit for the aerospace industry. YASA recognized this early and worked on aircraft applications before being scooped up by Mercedes-Benz, a company that was in it for the cars, not so much the aircraft. Before the ink was scrawled on those final acquisition papers in 2021, YASA spun off its aerospace interests into Evolito.
Evolito
Evolito was born with the brief of further developing and commercializing Yasa’s compact, power-dense motor tech for the aerospace sector. In 2022, it purchased aerospace battery developer Electroflight to expand into full propulsion systems, and it’s since worked on supplying propulsive power to Cranfield for its hydrogen-electric demonstrator. This month, it was announced as the motor supplier of the Flying Whales airship project.
“When designing an airship, weight is critical,” said Flying Whales CEO Vincent Guibout. “In the three years we have been working together, Evolito has demonstrated the ability to deliver best-in-class power density from its unique axial flux electric motors, along with the ability to ramp production to meet our forecast requirements.”
Evolito
The Flying Whales LCA60T airship will use 32 Evolito D250 motors to power propellers all over its nose and sides. Evolito says the D250 motor is the smallest and lightest in its class, and the iteration being used for the LCA60T develops 240 kW (322 hp) peak power and weighs in at just 13 kg (28.7 lb), giving it a peak power density of 18.5 kW/kg. That’s more than any motor we’ve covered, including the recently announced 15.8-kW/kg Donut Lab hub motor and the 13.4-kW/kg H3X HPDM-250 e-aircraft motor.
What’s more, a different iteration of the D250 listed on Evolito’s website manages an eye-popping 28 kW/kg peak power density, creating 230 kW (308 hp) from a package that weighs a mere 8.3 kg (18.3 lb). That unit is able to run continuously at 90% peak power, boasting a highly impressive continuous power density of 25 kW/kg. Torque numbers are nearly identical at 230 Nm (170 lb-ft) peak and 208 Nm (153 lb-ft) continuous, resulting in the same 28 and 25 (Nm/kg) density figures for torque as for power.
That’s one tiny, potent e-machine.
