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Vimag Labs’ Magnet-Free Motor Vision
Articles- Sep 26,26
Vimag Labs is developing virtual magnet motor technology to reshape electric mobility. Ashlin Rajan explores the startup’s journey, innovation and vision for building magnet-free EV solutions from India.
For decades, permanent magnets have been central to high-performance electric motors. However, supply chain disruptions and challenges in sourcing magnets revealed the need for alternative approaches. Vimag Labs saw this challenge as an opportunity to rethink electric motor technology and develop a magnet-free solution for the future of mobility.
Founded with the vision of creating high-performance motors and control systems for electric vehicles, Vimag Labs initially focused on developing solutions independent of China-dependent supply chains. However, during the COVID-19 period, difficulties in sourcing magnets changed the company’s direction. The team began exploring a magnet-free motor system, eventually developing its virtual magnet synchronous motor technology.
“We started first of all just to make the best motors. The idea initially was not to make anything magnetic, but the idea was to make the best motors for electric vehicles and the best control systems,” said Manish Seth, Founder & CEO, Vimag Labs.
After multiple iterations and extensive development, Vimag Labs created a technology that generates a virtual magnet, or a software-controlled electromagnet, inside the motor. The approach removes the need for permanent magnets while aiming to achieve performance levels comparable to magnet-based systems.
“The magnets were a lot of issue. We were not getting magnets. Then we started the project of making a magnet-free system. Since nothing worked well to our requirements, we had to invent something which can meet our requirement,” Seth explained.
Building deep tech from the ground up
Developing a new motor architecture required overcoming several technical challenges. Vimag Labs had to create its own systems, calculations and software frameworks to support the technology. Alongside technology development, managing early-stage capital requirements required the company to bootstrap operations and find early supporters who believed in its vision.
The company has progressed close to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8, with vehicle-level testing underway. It has also received patents, continues to apply for additional intellectual property protection and has achieved milestones across customer collaborations, testing, production setup and product development.
With experience rooted in the automotive sector, Vimag Labs initially focused on two-wheelers and three-wheelers, where deployment and testing cycles are shorter, before expanding towards higher-voltage applications.
Expanding across mobility applications
Vimag Labs currently operates across three motor platforms. Its sub-10 kW systems cater to two-wheelers and three-wheelers, the sub-30 kW platform targets small commercial vehicles such as one-tonne pickup trucks, while the 150 kW and above platform is designed for passenger vehicles, trucks and buses.
The company is also exploring applications beyond automotive, including drones, industrial systems, HVAC solutions, off-road vehicles and railways.
According to Seth, the company’s differentiation lies in shifting complexity from hardware to software. “Since we move most of the complexity from hardware to software, we are able to churn out products faster and tune the motors very fast,” he said.
By using software to control magnetic fields, Vimag Labs aims to provide greater flexibility in motor design, enabling faster tuning, scalability and a path towards software-defined motor systems.
Enabling local manufacturing
Removing permanent magnets from motor designs could help increase localisation in motor manufacturing. Vimag Labs aims to develop a broader ecosystem around components such as windings, laminations and other manufacturing processes by working with local suppliers.
“If you remove the magnets, 100 per cent of the motor can be made in India. As the complete motor can be made in India, most of the ancillary industries will also benefit as we grow,” Seth added.
The company is preparing to scale production through partnerships with tier-two and tier-three suppliers while retaining core intellectual property, software, firmware, electronics integration and technology development in-house.
Over the next five years, Vimag Labs aims to expand the adoption of its virtual magnet motor technology across automotive, defence and industrial applications. “We would want to get a significant share of the motor market by replacing permanent magnet motors, starting with automotive and then getting into fields of defence and certain industrial areas,” Seth said.
Through its software-driven approach and focus on local manufacturing, Vimag Labs is working towards developing an India-origin deep-tech solution for global electric motor applications.
Vimag Labs
Manish Seth
virtual magnet synchronous motor
electric vehicle technology
deep tech startup
magnet-free motor
EV manufacturing
smart manufacturing
Ashlin Rajan
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