Yasa, a developer of high-performance axial-flux electric motors, has officially opened its upgraded manufacturing facility in Yarnton, near Oxford, marking the UK’s first axial-flux electric motor “super factory.” The new 60,000-square-foot site, funded with a £12 million investment, is designed to scale production capacity beyond 25,000 units annually, a significant increase aimed at supporting the growing demand for compact, high-torque electric drive technology.
The Yarnton facility consolidates all manufacturing under one roof, integrating four coil and bar manufacturing cells, CNC coil winding, rotor balancing, stator laser welding, and comprehensive end-of-line quality control systems. The streamlined and highly automated workflow is intended to reduce bottlenecks, improve product reliability, and boost flexibility in response to market demand fluctuations.
“With a multi-million-pound investment into our Yarnton facility, we have transformed our manufacturing capability and significantly accelerated our production capacity,” said Tim Woolmer, Yasa’s CTO and founder. “This latest initiative will enable us to apply our technology with even greater accuracy, pace and scale.”
Yasa’s axial-flux motor technology delivers up to four times the power density of conventional radial-flux motors, making it particularly attractive to high-performance and luxury vehicle manufacturers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini. Since its acquisition by Mercedes-Benz Group in 2021, Yasa has collaborated closely with Mercedes to prepare axial-flux motors for large-scale series production, with additional manufacturing also taking place at the Mercedes-Benz site in Berlin-Marienfelde, Germany.
Richard Firmstone, Operations Director at Yasa, emphasized the transformational nature of the upgrade: “We have transformed the manufacturing processes to enable an enhanced operating philosophy. Manufacturing in motor sets to optimise flow, improving safety, quality and efficiency, while enabling full process and material traceability.”
The facility upgrade aligns with Yasa’s ongoing collaboration with the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), which has supported the company’s development to help retain key electric mobility intellectual property and capabilities in the UK. The axial-flux motor’s compact design, higher torque density, and improved thermal efficiency make it well-suited for next-generation electric vehicles, underlining Yasa’s role as a global leader in this technology segment.