UK startup AEM raises £16M to scale permanent magnet-free electric motors, signaling supply chain resilience as a competitive design priority.
Company Profile
Advanced Electric Machines
Overview
About Advanced Electric Machines
Advanced Electric Machines (AEM) is a privately held UK technology company headquartered in the North East of England, founded in 2017 as a spin-out from Newcastle University. AEM designs and manufactures rare-earth-free electric motors that eliminate permanent magnets entirely, positioning it within the critical-minerals supply chain as a demand-side alternative that reduces reliance on rare-earth magnets containing neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium. Its motors are built from abundant, recyclable materials such as steel, copper and aluminum; the flagship SSRD (Super Speed Reluctance Drive) is a 10.4 kg high-speed machine capable of 30,000 rpm and delivering up to 308 kW peak power. In 2025-2026 AEM secured GBP 23 million in new investment to scale production and signed development partnerships with a Tier 1 automotive supplier and a major Asian automaker, advancing magnet-free traction motors for electric vehicles and industrial applications.
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REEx Intelligence
Recent Articles
The UK's £50M critical minerals bet funds magnets and supply chains, but should Britain also invest in rare earth-free motor technologies? REEx weighs in.
AEM's magnet-free EV motors challenge rare earth dominance, offering recyclable alternatives amid China's export restrictions and supply vulnerabilities.
UK automotive sector faces rare earth supply crisis as China controls 85-90% of processing. AEM proposes magnet-free motors as solution.
UK's EV transition faces rare earth supply chain risk. AEM white paper warns of disruption parallels to chip shortage, urges magnet-free motors.
UK startup AEM partners with Asian OEM on magnet-free electric motors, reducing rare earth dependency but commercial execution remains unproven.
UK's AEM secures contract for rare-earth-free motors using aluminum coils. Could this innovation challenge China's magnet monopoly in EVs?
India's engineers are racing to develop magnet-free motors, challenging China's rare earth dominance and potentially revolutionizing the electric vehicle suppl…
