n NEWS November/December 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 A UK ELECTRIC MOTOR DEVELOPER has secured a seven-figure contract from “a global tier one company” to develop rareearth-free motors for high-volume passenger car applications. Advanced Electric Machines (AEM), based in Washington in Tyne and Wear, has also announced a technology demonstrator of a high-speed reluctance motor that uses only widely-available materials, avoiding the need for neodymium, dysprosium and other rare-earth materials. AEM claims that the specifications of its SSRD (Super Speed Reluctance Motor) demonstrator match or exceed those of conventional permanent magnet alternatives. It can operate at speeds of up to 30,000 rpm, and is said to offer high efficiency in real-life applications. The motor’s recyclable design eliminates permanent magnets as well as copper coils, combining a simple construction that allows cost-effective manufacturing, with enhanced supply chain resilience. The company believes that it represents “a fundamental breakthrough” that proves that highperformance electric motors can achieve excellent results using abundant materials. The 10.4kg motor can deliver a peak power of 308kW (138kW continuous) and a peak torque of 378Nm. It uses compressed aluminium coils, said to improve power density and heat transfer capabilities, with a reduced packing space. The motor is cooled using a water and glycol mix, and is controlled by a patented inverter technology. There is no risk of demagnetisation, allowing the motors to run faster and hotter. There are no cogging or electromagnetic drag losses at high speeds, resulting in high operating efficiencies. “This technology demonstrator proves that British innovation can address one of the automotive industry's key supply chain challenges,” says AEM’s CEO and co-founder, Dr James Widmer. “We're demonstrating a path to enhanced supply chain resilience, while delivering superior performance outcomes for our customers. “We're proving that supply chain diversification is achievable today,” he adds. “This demonstrator shows passenger car manufacturers that they can achieve superior performance while building more resilient and flexible supply chains.” AEM was founded in 2017 when it was spun out from Newcastle University’s electric motor research team, led by Widmer and the company’s chief technology officer, Dr Andy Steven. Its vision is to design and build the world’s most sustainable EV motors for the automotive and transport sectors. The company’s technologies are covered by 46 international patents that protect its motor designs and manufacturing processes. Unlike traditional permanent magnet motors that require rare earths, the SSRD motor achieves industry-leading performance using only abundant materials available from diverse global sources. AEM says it proves that British innovation can deliver ways to enhance supply chain resilience. The passenger car demonstrator represents a crucial milestone in demonstrating the viability of alternative approaches to motor technology. https://advancedelectricmachines.com UK rare-earth-free motor-maker wins volume car contract MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC UK AUTOMATION SYSTEMS HAS launched a range of OT (operational technology) cybersecurity services, including risk assessments, designed to address the growing level of cyberthreats in the manufacturing sector, and to align with legislation and standards. Mitsubishi is collaborating with the industrial cybersecurity specialist Tekgem, which has a longestablished presence in this area. With pending legislation – such as the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which will focus on IT and OT critical infrastructure – the new services will allow organisations to prove the measures and strategies they are implementing to reduce the risk of attack, and to show that they have a recovery strategy in place should an attack occur. The proposed Bill is expected to include these requirements. While many organisations have secured the IT level of their businesses, the OT layer – the infrastructure of physical processes, industrial systems and networks – is where they may be most vulnerable and, possibly, where the least amount of knowledge of potential vulnerabilities exists. In 2024, 98% of organisations experienced incidents affecting their OT environments. “With cyber threats constantly evolving, it has never been more important for organisations to protect against these attacks,” says Chris Evans, strategic development manager at Mitsubishi Electric UK Automation Systems. “Organisations have an obligation to protect themselves against cyberattacks – or, at least, to reduce the risk to as low as reasonably practicable. Our OT cybersecurity services help organisations to meet their governance, risk and compliance obligations, align with legislation and help reduce cyber-risk in their critical infrastructure.” https://gb.mitsubishielectric.com/fa/ot-cyber-security-services Mitsubishi launches cyber services to tackle UK threats Widmer: We're proving that supply chain diversification is achievable
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