Why AMG Bought This Secret EV Tech | MotoMan Podcast # 023

<p>What happens when a university engineering project completely upends the power dynamics of the world&#39;s most elite supercar manufacturers?</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode of the MotoMan Podcast, we meet Dr. Tim Woolmer, the CTO and Founder of YASA Motors. Long before the automotive establishment fully embraced electrification, Woolmer engineered a radical departure from traditional propulsion: the axial flux &quot;pancake&quot; motor.</p><p><br></p><p>By rewriting the core physics of electric motor topology, YASA managed to strip away 80% of necessary iron, delivering an astonishing three-to-one power-to-weight advantage over industry-standard radial machines. It is the exact breakthrough technology quietly weaponized inside the apex hyper-hybrids of Koenigsegg, Ferrari and Lamborghini—and it is now stepping directly into mainline production as the core architecture of the upcoming <strong>2027 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door</strong>.</p><p><br></p><p>Filmed on-site at YASA’s Oxford headquarters, this episode is a technical &amp; narrative deep-dive into the realities of automotive disruption. We trace the journey from a crude 2006 PhD prototype to navigating tight venture funding rounds, partnering with Jaguar on the legendary C-X75 concept, and eventually executing a full corporate acquisition by Mercedes-Benz.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Chapters</strong></p><p>00:00:00 - The Future of Italian Exotics Started in Oxford</p><p>00:01:26 - A Quick Note on the Vault Episode</p><p>00:02:11 - The Pancake Motor That Stopped the Room</p><p>00:03:04 - Why YASA Had to Exist</p><p>00:03:48 - Radial Motors, Axial Motors, and the Big Difference</p><p>00:04:37 - The Tiny Stator With 250 Horsepower</p><p>00:05:38 - How a Smaller Motor Makes Way More Power</p><p>00:08:58 - Motor Number One: The Oxford PhD Prototype</p><p>00:10:04 - Building an EV Startup Before EVs Were Obvious</p><p>00:12:03 - The Jaguar C-X75 Moment That Proved It Could Work</p><p>00:13:16 - The Hard, Messy Reality of a University Startup</p><p>00:15:30 - From ‘I’ to ‘We’: Growing the YASA Team</p><p>00:16:17 - The Car Guy Who Was Really an Electric-Car Guy</p><p>00:19:04 - Batteries, Motors, Roads, and the Path He Chose</p><p>00:21:01 - Morgan, Hydrogen, and the Project That Forced Real Progress</p><p>00:23:59 - The Material Constraint That Sparked the Breakthrough</p><p>00:26:53 - The Grid Problem Nobody Can Ignore</p><p>00:29:28 - Help Grow the Motoman Podcast</p><p>00:30:13 - Yes, These Motors Are in