InnerCircle: Magnet-free motors can offer better sustainability and efficiency solutions, says Udhay Singh of Attron Automotive

Attron Automotive, a precision-engineered motor and controller solutions startup, is now working to develop an electric motor that does not require rare-earth magnets, while diversifying its focus into other sectors such as defence and agricultural technology, according to Udhay Singh, one of the company’s co-founders and Chief Operating Officer.

“While working on electric motors with Neodymium magnets, which are rare earth magnet that has to be imported, we are also simultaneously working on other technologies as well, which can work without magnets,” Singh said.

The three-year-old startup designs and manufactures efficient and cost-effective electric vehicle components such as motors and controllers, particularly for electric two and three-wheelers. The startup has already developed a motor, which they claim to have an efficiency of more than 97% and can increase the range by over 15%.

Automotive companies have been depending significantly on motors with rare-earth-based permanent magnets due to their high efficiency. However, the companies are now looking to move away from rare earth magnets in a bid to reduce the dependence on China for the import of such magnets. “It is not SRM (switched reluctance motor) or something of that sort. What we are working on is something new,” Singh noted.

“Volumes are important, but we also have to focus on the technology. And obviously, diversification should be there. We should not be just limited to mobility, we can in other industries as well. We are also going into the agri-tech sector, which is in high demand right now," he added.

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