Mercedes‑Benz starts large‑scale production of electric axial flux motor
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Mercedes-Benz begins large-scale production of axial flux electric motors at Berlin plant.
Mercedes-Benz started mass production of its axial flux electric motor at the Berlin-Marienfelde plant in June 2026. The motor debuts in the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe and enables 0-100 km/h acceleration in 2.1 seconds. Production spans 30,000 square meters across three halls with seven assembly lines. The manufacturing process involves 98 steps, of which 65 are new to Mercedes-Benz and 35 are globally novel, generating over 30 patent filings. Key innovations include precision copper coil winding, laser-welded connections, and polymer welding with AI-driven quality control. The stator positioning process maintains tolerances under 0.1 millimeters while resisting magnetic forces up to 9 kilonewtons. The motor design places two rotors on either side of the stator, enabling compact form factors: 9 centimeters wide at the front axle, 8 centimeters at the rear.
What commenters are saying
Commenters focused on Britain's loss of YASA to German acquisition. Discussion centered on why British tech startups sell to foreign companies: Germany's larger automotive industry demand for EV innovations, Britain's capital structure favoring finance over manufacturing, and difficulty raising late-stage deep tech funding in the UK. One commenter noted Britain's space program wasn't abandoned but folded into ESA. Several users requested clearer explanation of axial flux motors and their advantages, with some providing Wikipedia links and YouTube videos. Commenters highlighted that axial flux motors are historically old (Faraday built one in 1821) but represent a first major industrial-scale high-torque application. One user mentioned visiting a Chinese robotics startup using axial flux motors for quadrupeds.