Xinhua News Agency, Hangzhou, June 6 — Title: Compact Motor, High‑Power: New Progress Made in Axial‑Flux Motors

　　By Liu Zhen, Xinhua News Agency

　　In the arena of high‑end manufacturing, every breakthrough in key technologies captures market attention.

　　Recently, Shanghai Pangu Power Technology Co., Ltd., together with the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, announced major advances in its new‑generation axial‑flux motors. Drawing on self‑developed high‑performance materials, a smaller, lighter and higher‑efficiency electric motor has entered the industrialization phase.

　　In Lanxi, Zhejiang Province, with damp road surfaces after rainfall, an electric bus travels smoothly through city streets. Unlike conventional large buses, its interior is flat and step‑free, making boarding easier for the elderly and strollers.

　　Behind this minor outward improvement lies a major leap in core technology. Thanks to the flat‑structured axial‑flux motor, the drive system is integrated beside the wheels, reducing occupation of interior cabin space.

　　“An 8‑meter‑long bus can now carry as many passengers as a former 10‑meter bus, with lighter curb weight and extended driving range,” said Han Jun, Founder of Pangu Power. Compared with traditional radial‑flux motors, axial‑flux motors can cut both volume and weight by half while delivering equivalent power output.

　　Electric bus equipped with wheel‑side drive system. (Photo provided by the interviewed entity)

　　What industrial future could this streamlined “power heart” help unlock?

　　According to experts, such motors can free up more layout space for batteries in new‑energy vehicles to boost driving range, enable more compact and powerful joints for humanoid robots, achieve superior thrust‑to‑weight ratios for low‑altitude aircraft, and deliver substantial energy savings for industrial fans, water pumps and other equipment. These new‑type motors find wide applications wherever higher requirements for space‑saving, power output and energy efficiency are demanded.

　　How can the industrialization gap be crossed to move technologies from laboratories onto production lines?

　　For a long time, constrained by core materials and manufacturing processes, large‑scale application of axial‑flux motors remained elusive. This latest breakthrough stems from two‑way integration between innovation chains and industrial chains. Enterprises tackle mass‑production bottlenecks while research institutes delve into “material genetics”, developing specialized magnetic steels that remain stable under high‑temperature, high‑speed and heavy‑load conditions, alongside a complete set of supporting mass‑production processes.

　　“Materials must be processed into components; components must be assembled into devices; and devices must work reliably. At the early R&D stage, we fully understood real‑world application requirements to carry out customized development,” said Ding Guangfei, Senior Engineer at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Calculations show that core performance indicators of mass‑produced products have surpassed the 2040 targets set in China’s *Technology Roadmap for Energy‑Saving and New‑Energy Vehicles 3.0*.

　　In‑house production line of Pangu Power. (Photo provided by the interviewed entity)

　　Breakthroughs at individual points reflect broader industrial trends. Latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that China’s total turnover of technology contracts rose from RMB 2.8 trillion in 2020 to RMB 7.6 trillion in 2025. The industrialization rate of corporate invention patents increased from 44.9 % to 54.0 %, marking continuous improvement in the conversion efficiency of scientific and technological achievements.

　　The 2026 Government Work Report explicitly calls for “building a modern industrial system underpinned by advanced manufacturing” and “strengthening the reconstruction of industrial foundations and research on major technical equipment”. From the development‑of‑manufacturing‑power‑country arrangements in the 15th Five‑Year Plan Outline to concrete measures for “integration of innovation and manufacturing” rolled out by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, policy synergy is accelerating R&D and commercialization of core key technologies.

　　Axial‑flux motors are now at a critical window of transition from small‑batch trial production toward large‑scale manufacturing. Globally, companies including Mercedes‑Benz of Germany and Renault of France are speeding up mass‑production of related products.

　　Bolstered by indigenous innovation and diverse application scenarios, China’s industrialization process moves forward steadily. To date, Pangu Power’s axial‑flux motors have been adopted across multiple scenarios including new‑energy commercial vehicles, agricultural machinery, small‑and‑medium‑sized ships and robots, with cumulative sales exceeding 50,000 units.

　　The strong beating of these Chinese‑built machine “hearts” echoes Chinese manufacturing’s continuous march toward high‑end, intelligent and green development. It also serves as a vivid example of how new‑quality productive forces take root and thrive across the country.

Source: Xinhuanet