BMW’s venture capital unit i Ventures has co-led a series A investment round for DeepDrive, a German start-up producing dual-rotor electric motors, which promise more range, less material use, and a lower production cost than current state-of-the-art motors. With the investment, DeepDrive wants to start a recruitment drive leading to mass production in 2026.

Other backers of this investment round include UVC Partners, Bayern Kapital, Continental, former Volvo and Audi board member Peter Mertens, and Jonas Rieke of Personio. In total, €15 million was raised, bringing the motors to production to meet OEM demand – DeepDrive says eight out of the top 10 automotive manufacturers have shown interest.

More efficient and cheaper

But what makes the DeepDrive electric motor design so unique? According to the start-up, its dual-rotor design allows for very efficient packaging, which combines high power density with low noise and a lower material cost. As a result, DeepDrive promises a 20% boost in efficiency while costing 30% less than the current state-of-the-art motors.

DeepDrive has both central drive units and in-wheel drive motors in its range. The central drive unit offers a power figure of 300 kW (408 hp) and 700 Nm while only weighing 30 kg. The in-wheel hub motors range from 18 kW (24 hp) for quadricycles like the Renault Twizy or Citroën Ami to 250 kW (340 hp) for more performance-focused EVs.

Those units weigh 37 kg but include a drum brake to limit the impact on unsprung weight. With a hub motor for each wheel, a 1 000 kW (1 360 hp) hypercar is within the realm of possibilities. Perhaps BMW should consider an i8 successor… DeepDrive is looking to enter series production by 2025 or 2026.