DeepDrive’s dual-rotor electric motor encloses its copper-wound stator between two rotors, shown here with the outer rotor lifted away
(Image courtesy of DeepDrive)
DeepDrive has been nominated as a large-series supplier by a leading global vehicle manufacturer, with production of its dual-rotor electric motor set to begin in 2028. The Munich company says the award marks its move from technology development into series manufacturing, and it is opening a dedicated team in Shanghai at the same time. The programme brings a radial-flux architecture with its stator enclosed between an inner and an outer rotor into high-volume supply.
Dual-rotor electric motor design moves into series production
DeepDrive says its patented topology is now validated across all three of its applications, which are a generator, an in-wheel drive and a central drive. With validation complete, the company is scaling its high-volume production facilities to serve this customer and additional customers worldwide. CEO and co-founder Felix Poernbacher describes the nomination as the first step toward building “the global standard electric drive for automotive and beyond”.
Peter Hochholdinger, who held production roles at Tesla and Lucid and joined DeepDrive as an adviser in December 2025, says getting a new motor architecture to series production is where most deep-tech companies fail, and that DeepDrive has built an organisation and technology stack ready for high-volume manufacturing.
Volume and hardware behind the dual-rotor motor programme
Poernbacher said in an interview that the programme will result in 100,000 to 1 million units over its lifetime and could extend to further models and platforms. He said the manufacturer selected DeepDrive’s technology for its weight, cost and compactness.
DeepDrive’s March 2026 datasheet for its IW 2000 in-wheel motor, which targets mid-size electric vehicles on 19-inch rims, lists 180 kW peak power and 2,000 Nm peak torque, each rated for 30 seconds, with 96.2% peak efficiency. That unit weighs 34 kg including its integrated SiC inverter, and the company says its dual-rotor motor extends range by up to 20% against rival technologies.
In an August 2026 publication, DeepDrive says it has passed VDA 6.3 series supplier audits with major OEMs and earned a green rating on one OEM’s supplier scorecard, the bar a supplier has to clear to be considered for a series award. Its comparison with a conventional permanent-magnet synchronous motor at equivalent performance cites 25% lower weight and energy consumption, along with 30% less magnet material, 50% less copper and 70% less iron.
The programme arrives as alternative motor architectures reach volume. Mercedes-Benz began producing YASA axial flux motors at its Berlin-Marienfelde plant in 2026 for the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé, which the company presents as the first series-production EV to use axial flux motors. IDTechEx’s 2026 to 2036 electric motors report expects growing demand for axial flux and in-wheel motors in certain vehicle categories, without expecting them to displace conventional radial flux machines in the near future. BMW has worked with DeepDrive since 2021 and announced road testing of its drives in July 2024.
China presence and investor backing
Alongside the nomination, DeepDrive has launched its global expansion with a first presence in China. A dedicated Shanghai team leads sales and execution within the company’s wider engineering and manufacturing organisation. Production follows a local-for-local model, so manufacturing is set up wherever customers are based.
DeepDrive counts vehicle manufacturers in Europe, the US and China among its customers. Its backers include Leitmotif, with Volkswagen AG as anchor investor, as well as BMW i Ventures, Aumovio’s Capital Venture Unit, UVC Partners and Bayern Kapital.
Production for the nominated programme begins in 2028, matching the timeline DeepDrive set out in December 2025, when it said it wanted to start large-scale production of its dual-rotor electric motor by 2028.
Stay ahead in the electrification revolution. Explore more breakthroughs from leading innovators in electric commercial transport – visit our news page.