n TECHNOLOGY September 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com 18 PROTEAN ELECTRIC, THE UK-BASED developer of in-wheel motors (IWMs) for electric vehicles, says it is the first motor producer to develop and supply IWMs for a mainstream passenger car. It is providing a pair of rear-wheel motors, each rated at more than 200kW, for the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, which is designed to accelerate from 0–62 mph in less than 3.5 seconds, and hit a top speed of 167 mph (269km/h). The £135,000 electric sportscar was shown to the public for the first time at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed. The in-wheel motors – an updated version of Protean’s Pd18 design – will deliver an instant combined torque of 4.8kNm. By placing the motors inside the car’s 20-inch wheels, all of the power will be delivered without drivetrain losses, resulting in good responsiveness and high efficiency. The design reduces the number of parts needed and the weight of the vehicle (to 1,450kg) enhancing its agility, performance and delivering a driving range of 248 miles (400km) from its 70kWh battery. The distribution of the torque to each wheel can be controlled to enhance the car’s grip and agility. Renault is planning to build just 1,980 of the 5 Turbo 3Es. Protean says that the “landmark” project positions it at the forefront of EV propulsion innovation. Not only does it mark a key step in the commercialisation of IWMs, but it also reinforces their viability as a scalable propulsion technology for mainstream automotive applications. “We are thrilled to see Protean’s in-wheel motor technology being integrated into such an iconic vehicle as the Renault 5 Turbo 3E,” says the company’s CEO, Andrew Whitehead. “This collaboration represents a significant milestone in the future of vehicle electrification as it shows clearly in-wheel motors have no limits. We look forward to continuing our work with Renault and other OEMs as they seek to use in-wheel motors to deliver better electric vehicles for their customers.” Farnham-based Protean has was founded in 2009 after the UK pancake motor pioneer, PML Flightlink, entered administration. In 2019, it was acquired by National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), a subsidiary of the Chinese Evergrande Health group, which had been created from the assets of Saab Automobile following its bankruptcy in 2012. Evergrande subsequently got into financial difficulties, leading to Protean being acquired in 2021 by the Bedeo Group, a UK company specialising in transport electrification technologies. Bedeo (formerly BD Auto), founded in 2009 by Osman Boyner, has its headquarters in the UK, with manufacturing operations in Turkey and China. Protean Electric holds more than 330 patents across 75 patent families. www.proteanelectric.com UK-developed in-wheel motors will propel Renault 5 Turbo 3E to 62mph in 3.5s The Renault 5 Turbo 3E electric sportscar will be powered by a pair of motors in its rear wheels A Chinese high-performance car-maker claims to have set a new world speed record for electric vehicles by hitting a speed of 472.41km/h on a test track in Germany. Yangwang – a high-end sub-brand of the Chinese EV giant BYD – says that its U9 Track Edition supercar broke the record propelled by four 555kW, 30,000 rpm motors, with a combined rating of more than 3,000hp. The vehicle has a power-to-weight ratio of 1,217hp per tonne. The record was set last month at the Papenburg test track by German driver Marc Basseng, who set the previous EV speed record in 2024. “Last year, I thought I'd peaked,” he says. “I never expected to break my own record so soon – but here we are, at the same track, with new technologies that have made it possible.” Each of the EV’s four motors has an independent torquevectoring system that monitors road feedback continuously, adjusting torque more than 100 times a second. Even at high speeds, the system is said to maintains absolute control over body posture, ensuring no wheel slip or loss of traction. The car also incorporates the world’s first mass-produced 1.2kV ultra-high-voltage platform, paired with a thermal-management system optimised for extreme conditions. During aggressive acceleration and cornering, or on uneven surfaces, an intelligent body control system performs rapid, independent vertical adjustments to the suspension at each corner of the vehicle. This not only suppresses pitch and roll – enhancing driver comfort – but also optimises the contact area between the tyres and the road, to maximise grip. The Yangwang U9 Track Edition is based on the same e4 Platform and DiSus-X architecture as the U9 model which is currently on sale in China. Four 550kW motors help to accelerate electric sportscar to new world speed record Yangwang’s U9 Track Edition supercar has set a new world speed record for EVs on a track in Germany
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