n NEWS NEWS n www.drivesncontrols.com April 2026 11 THE JAPANESE CLUTCH and automotive transmission manufacturer Exedy is buying Protean Electric, the UK-based developer of in-wheel motors (IWMs) for electric vehicles, for around €30m. Exedy says the acquisition will help it to transform its portfolio to provide new opportunities in the automotive sector as it undergoes “a major transformation”. Exedy expects Protean’s in-wheel motor technology to improve vehicle control and increase freedom in vehicle designs. It also believes that Protean’s technology – which combines mechanical, electrical and control engineering – has the potential to contribute to changes in drivetrain architectures. It predicts that the integrated technology could advance control integration, which is often cited as a challenge in the shift toward software-defined vehicles. Another potential attraction of Protean’s technology is that it could allow two-wheel-drive platforms to be converted to four-wheel operation quickly and at relatively low cost. Exedy says that Protean could also help to address an “internal challenge” that it is facing – its limited number of engineers with expertise in both mechanical and electrical technologies. “Our acquisition of Protean allows Exedy to address the ongoing shift towards electrification in the automotive industry – a key pillar of our business,” explains Exedy CEO, Tetsuya Yoshinaga. “Protean is a market-leader that develops, manufactures, and sells in-wheel motors – drive motors integrated into the wheels – which already has a track record of commercial deployment. Through the acquisition, Exedy intends to combine the technological strengths of both companies to continue providing competitive products and services.” Protean says that under its new ownership, it will be able to meet the market demand for its in-wheel motors at an industrial scale and at a competitive cost. As the automotive industry moves towards electrification and software-defined platforms, the backing of a Tier 1 supplier will allow Protean to develop its products further and to expand into new markets. “This transaction represents a major step in the adoption of ProteanDrive as a mainstream drivetrain solution for the automotive industry,” says Protean Electric’s CEO, Andrew Whitehead. “Our acquisition by Exedy allows our OEM customers to confidently enable their future products with in-wheel motors. The potential for ProteanDrive to allow OEMs to deliver better electric vehicles has been clear to many for years – this transaction provides us with the industrial scale to offer a sustainable, cost-competitive product that turns the potential into reality.” Exedy is buying Protean from Bedeo, a UK company specialising in electric transport technologies, which acquired Protean from National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), a subsidiary of China’s Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group, in 2021. Protean, founded in 2008, has had a chequered history, with several changes of ownership. The company has more than 330 patents across 75 patent families, and operations in the UK, China and Turkey. According to Exedy, Protean made an operating loss of £4.6m in 2025. Last year, Protean claimed that the latest generation of its ProteanDrive wheel motor technology would cost the same as conventional twin-axle drive systems, offering the potential to lower electric vehicle costs and to deliver other advantages. It also claimed that it was the first IWM supplier able to deliver production-ready, high-performance IWMs for passenger car applications. Protean also announced that Renault is planning to use two of the integrated wheel-motors in its Renault 5 Turbo 5E electric sportscar, designed to accelerate from 0–100km/h in less than 3.5 seconds, and hit a top speed of 269km/h (167 mph). Deliveries of these sportscars are due to start in 2027 using Protean’s Pm18 2500 drive system, which delivers more than 2.5kNm of torque and 220kW of power per wheel motor. Exedy’s global sales in 2024 amounted to 309.6bn Japanese yen ($2bn). It has operations in 25 countries and employs around 14,200 people. Japanese clutch-maker buys UK in-wheel motor pioneer for €30m A Protean Electric in-wheel motor being tested Building work starts on UK motor manufacturer’s new plant in Somerset THE UK ELECTRIC MOTOR manufacturer Electrified Motors has started to build a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bridgwater, Somerset. The company designs and manufactures highperformance PMAC (permanent magnet AC) motors for off-highway vehicles and other applications, including industrial. The development of the new 25,000ft2 (2,323m2) site represents a milestone in the company’s growth strategy and will upgrade its production capacity significantly to meet a growing market demand. The facility, due to open in third quarter of 2026, will initially employ around 40 people. This number is expected to double to 80 over the coming four years. “It’s fantastic to see construction progressing so well on our new Bridgwater facility,” says managing director, Jim Winchester. “The investment is aimed at supporting growing demand for electrification across off-highway, industrial and specialist vehicle applications. “Our new site will allow us to scale our manufacturing output through advanced automated production lines, while continuing to deliver the performance and quality our customers expect.” Electrified’s IPM (interior permanent magnet) motors span ratings from 3–12kW (7–44kW peak), with peak torque ratings of 30–140Nm. They operate from 24–96V supplies and have a top speed of 7,000 rpm. Electrified has also developed stator assembly and overmoulding technologies.
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