Axial flux motor developer Saietta has expanded its product range for the light-duty electric vehicle sector with new power electronics, a modular gearbox and a bespoke axle architecture – providing light-duty vehicle manufacturers with what it says is a fully integrated, one-stop-shop e-mobility system solution.
Saietta states that its ability to upgrade its axial flux range has been driven by a number of major developments and breakthroughs for the company. The acquisition of e-Traction in November 2021 – a developer of electric drivetrains and high-voltage power electronics for heavy-duty vehicles and bus applications – has been key to advancing the development of its in-house developed integrated inverter for the AFT (Axial Flux Technology) motor range.
Saietta has also won several global contracts from the light-duty vehicle sector for its integrated e-drive systems that are based on the AFT 140 motor. This includes Ayro in the USA, Electric Assisted Vehicles in the UK, an established OEM of lightweight vehicles in India, and a new vehicle platform developer in Europe.
In addition, it is developing proof-of-concept e-drive system designs for two further potential high-volume light-duty commercial vehicle customers in India. Although still at a prototype stage, and with further milestones yet to be met, collectively these activities have the potential to develop into volumes of more than 87,000 integrated AFT 140 e-drive systems per annum.
Saietta has also enhanced its research and engineering teams with a number of top-level industry appointments. In March, Dave Pates joined Saietta as managing director of its light-duty e-drive division and his industry-leading knowledge and expertise has been instrumental in the company’s recent commercial progress. His previous role was engineering director of Mahle Powertrain – formerly Cosworth Technology Group.
Commenting on Saietta’s expansion and enhanced product range, CEO Wicher Kist said, “We are delighted that we are now in a position to offer customers fully integrated AFT e-drive system solutions. The acquisition of e-Traction has enabled us to reach this point sooner than expected and customer engagement has convinced us that this is the best commercial opportunity for delivering our AFT technology to market. Owning the power electronics and software development capabilities should allow us to help our customers to get their vehicle platforms to market faster.
“We believe that this approach will enable Saietta to continue to grow into one of the world’s leading light-duty and heavy-duty e-drive businesses and be a showcase of UK and European engineering and production excellence at this key stage in the transformation of the global automotive industry.
“We are also delighted that we can now manufacture these innovative products at our world-class automotive electric motor manufacturing facility in Sunderland – which has historically delivered over 25 million electric motors for automotive OEMs.”