Conifer, a Silicon Valley startup, has secured $20 million in seed funding to commercialize its magnet-agnostic electric motors and powertrains that are coupled with a software-driven manufacturing approach. Founded by repeat entrepreneurs and ex-Apple Special Projects Group and Lucid engineers, the company has spent the last two years developing and validating its technology with customers. It announced the successful funding in April.
We asked the founders to elaborate on their technology and plans. Their responses are presented in this article.
Conifer executives say they have invented a compact axial flux motor with proprietary stator technology that simultaneously achieves high efficiency and power density comparable to rare-earth-based magnet-based solutions using ubiquitously available ferrite magnets. While reducing cost and dependence on foreign supply chains, the motors can double the power density using neodymium-based magnets if an application calls for it. They say that the resulting solution sees a 95% reduction in stator core and eliminates scrap steel, while their “no tool” production process reduces winding costs by 90%.
The funding will be used to deliver production units of the company’s first product, a geared in-wheel powertrain for on-road and off-road small mobility including two-wheelers, small four-wheelers, lawnmowers and tractors, also to expand their product line for stationary applications. Deep tech VCs invested in the round including True Ventures, MFV Partners, MaC Ventures, Voyager, Z21 Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank and Higher Life Ventures, with Rohit Sharma from True Ventures joining the board.
“Our mission is to make electrification and automation both exciting and practical at scale,” said Ankit Somani, co-founder of Conifer. “It’s difficult for customers to get their ideal powertrain, which simultaneously solves for longer range, meets specifications in the smallest volume possible, and is cost-effective. They also don’t want to be stuck managing multiple vendors and an unreliable supply chain.”
“We took inspiration from battery cell design and manufacturing,” added Yateendra Deshpande, co-founder of Conifer. “Given our modular motor design, for the first time, motors can be manufactured at scale without expensive tooling using a fully parameterized software-driven process. Our process allows a single production line to create motors of various sizes under 25hp while reducing manufacturing costs for the key winding step by over 90 percent. Integrating with our modular inverter, gearbox, and flexible software layers helps us deliver customer requirements cost-effectively and rapidly.”
“Getting the world to electrify and move beyond combustion engines requires fundamental and broad-based innovation in powertrains,” said Rohit Sharma, partner at True Ventures. “Ankit and Yateendra are tackling this challenge by focusing on low-cost materials, new design, manufacturing, and integrated software to create high torque, low-cost powertrains for both two-wheelers and commercial vehicles. And they’ve assembled a strong, experience-aligned team of experts to do so.”
Small Mobility and Stationary Applications
They are currently targeting applications that require less than 25 hp. Over 1 billion gas-powered engines currently power small mobility applications globally, including two-wheelers, lawnmowers, tractors, and power tools. Businesses looking to create electric versions are often stuck with inefficient and failure-prone hub motors, says the Conifer team.
Conifer’s first commercial product addresses the issue with-a drop-in, geared In-wheel powertrain that integrates across wheel sizes, designed to provide superior efficiency and higher continuous power density. The company says it plans to begin shipping production units this year to customers who have tested them in harsh real-world conditions.
NEMA-type motors for stationary applications such as HVAC, industrial automation and pumping, which convert an estimated 45% of the world’s electricity, are another target. With the company’s IE5-efficient motors which are half the length and weight of induction machines while being a drop-in for the same NEMA/IEC frame size, it is launching a pilot program for partners in the stationary application space.
Technology and Manufacturing Explained
Seeking to learn more details about the company’s technology and its plans moving forward, we posed these questions to Conifer executives. Their answers are in italics:
Q: How is manufacturing handled currently and what are the plans for ramping up manufacturing?
We have invented some key manufacturing processes that simplify the entire assembly by 10X and reduce costs significantly. So we are manufacturing our own motors because we are proving out the process at scale. We already have a manufacturing facility that can handle up to 75,000 units/yr demand. The facility is starting to produce in low volume and more steady production by Q4 2025
Q: What are key differences in design for Conifer’s ferrite-based motor and neodymium-based motors?
Conifer’s ferrite motors achieve the same specific power (kW/kg), power density (kW/L) and efficiency as a NdFeB based motor but with a form factor that’s perfect for two wheelers and in-wheel geared solutions.
We package the ferrite magnet based yokeless axial flux motor with a planetary transmission that fits within the exact wheel size needed for e2Ws to e3Ws to off-road vehicles. The trick to getting the power density while using weaker magnets is positioning the magnet at a larger radius than a radial flux inrunner (Torque = Force * radius ==> larger radius gives larger torque) and running it faster (Power = Torque * speed) and owing to no back-iron in stator as well as optimal utilization of stator flux due to a special coil design, the motor losses are really low at higher speeds. When we validated this in our lab, our conclusion was that for most applications under 30hp, rare earth magnets can be completely avoided.
Q: Please describe the type of ferrite that is used in Conifer motors?
We use typical C-9 grades with no rare earths, which can be sourced from reputable companies in India and worldwide
For more info, see www.conifer.io.
