BMW i Ventures shifts €15 million DeepDrive’s way

Munich-based DeepDrive has received a €15 million investment from BMW i Ventures in a Series A funding round. The juice is expected to help the company kick industrial production of its radial flux double rotor motor into high gear as the company embarks on a sustained recruitment drive in order to meet the increasing demand for its EV-focused powertrain systems.

In addition to BMW i Ventures’ lead, the €15 million Series A round also saw the participation of UVC Partners, the Continental Corporate Venture Capital Unit, Bayern Kapital, Audi’s former development director Peter Mertens, and Personio’s Jonas Rieke.

By now, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you’ve had the chance to experience traveling inside some form of electric vehicle. If so, then you’re already familiar with one of the unique characteristics of an EV, that of one gear and torque that a 1960s sports car could only dream of (no matter how hard you try Mr. Bond.). 

Now a Prius is one thing, and I’ve been lucky enough to pilot a Tesla Plaid that, quite frankly, almost snapped my neck into last Thursday, but now, Munich’s DeepDrive say they’ve got something that will knock me sideways. And with a smile.

The company’s unique dual rotor, radial flux machine (not capacitor - yet) offers, according to the company, the automotive industry’s highest torque and power density combined with the lowest noise emissions and torque ripple. Add to the joy that this motor including its power electronics can be installed as a central drive or, ready for this? as a wheel hub drive in series vehicles.

If this is bordering on Greek at this point, allow me to translate - if DeepDrive’s claims live up to real-world performance, this means what they’re working on is bloody fast, quiet, and incredibly efficient. And that’s as a central powertrain. Now add three more, one per wheel, and you’ve got something here that could dust a Ferrari Enzo, be as quiet as a mouse, and use less power to accomplish both than a Prius at comparative levels. 

But before I get carried away with the warp speed that’s technically (not, but for the purposes of this illustration, play along) possible with this technology, let’s roll it back to the real world and break it down. What this means is that DeepDrive’s approach to EV power delivery translates to a car that will drive 20% further and require 20% smaller batteries to do the same this today’s status quo will do. Say nothing for the fact that according to the company, their EV motors require far fewer rare earth materials to build. Blimey!

The company already works with eight of the top 10 automakers on the planet, and thanks in part to the new €15 million, says they’re on track to be rolling out their offer en masse by 2026.

“The efficiency of e-vehicles is one of the biggest challenges for almost all car manufacturers. With our double-rotor drive, we were able to develop a key technology that addresses exactly this problem and is thus met with extremely high interest from the industry,” commented DeepDrive co-founder and MD Felix Pörnbacher. “Through our focus on disruptive innovation paired with professionalism, We see ourselves as a pioneer of electrification for mobility. Now we are looking forward to getting this technology onto the road together with our new, strong partners and existing supporters and winning the first series projects.”