Electric motor manufacturer Linear Labs has raised an additional $6 million in funding to further develop manufacturing capabilities and grow its employee base. The new capital raise comes shortly after the announcement of a $68.9-million partnership with the City of Fort Worth, Texas, which includes an incentive package for Linear Labs’ plans to develop an advanced manufacturing facility in the area.

The new funding will be used to expand manufacturing expertise, supply chain infrastructure and logistics, as well as advanced automation and robotics engineering, in order to meet the current signed customer needs of producing 100,000 units in 2021, with a target of 1,000,000 units the following year. Clients for these motors include global OEMs in automotive, micro-mobility and industrial pump applications, as well as residential and light commercial HVAC.

Linear Labs says its patented HET motor technology is a new class of electric machine, producing up to twice the torque of competing motors—or the same torque in half the size—and can also be made using rare earth or ferrite magnets. The design is based on a magnetic flux tunnel featuring both dual axial flux and dual radial flux rotors tied together around one stator—effectively four motors working as one.

The next phase of production will include the 200-series motor, which provides 108 Nm of torque with bursts up to 140 Nm. The company says the 200-series motor is 1.7 kg lighter than its competitors, with average efficiency over the RPM range of 88 percent (92 percent peak) versus the competition’s average of 59 percent.

“The success of our most recent funding round is a testament to our superior technology and the versatility of its uses—from more efficient industrial applications and pumps to an increased range of mobility applications to more sustainable air conditioners,” said CEO Brad Hunstable. “Our mission is resonating not only with the best minds in Silicon Valley, but also the growing technology hub that is the Fort Worth area. We’re making a global impact through smarter utilization of energy, with a motor that is as big a breakthrough in energy as any major battery breakthrough.”

Linear Labs has also expanded its Board of Directors to include Chris MacFarland, CEO of Texas-based Masergy, a software-defined cloud platform company.

“I can see that Linear Labs is going to effect change on an international scale in multiple industries,” said MacFarland. “The company is getting bigger by the moment, and to join their board just as their new funding is secured and their deal with Fort Worth is announced, is fortuitous timing.”

Source: Linear Labs