HDRM, AEM unveils rare-earth-free motor for heavy-duty electric vehicles

Advanced Electric Machines is about to unveil Titan, extending its High-Density Reluctance Motor (HDRM) electric motor platform toward higher-torque commercial vehicle applications. The company will also present a 700 V air-cooled drive system based on its compact HDRM150 motor.

Advanced Electric Machines (AEM) is expanding its rare-earth-free electric motor portfolio with Titan, a new heavy-duty machine designed for commercial vehicle powertrains. The motor, which will make its public debut at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hanover, is the largest and highest-torque unit developed so far within AEM’s HDRM family.

Titan is intended to extend the HDRM platform into applications requiring substantially higher torque and larger powertrain architectures. AEM has not yet disclosed detailed output, torque or dimensional specifications, but says the motor has been developed specifically for heavy-duty, commercially oriented applications.

At IAA, the company will display a detailed 3D concept of the machine, while the first physical samples are scheduled for the third quarter of 2027.

The new motor is part of AEM’s strategy to broaden its portfolio of machines that do not rely on rare-earth materials, an increasingly relevant design consideration as electric powertrain manufacturers seek to reduce exposure to volatile raw-material supply chains. Its development is also supported by a recently announced £16 million investment aimed at accelerating AEM’s electric powertrain technology programmes.

Alongside Titan, AEM will showcase a different approach to electric drive integration with a newly developed air-cooled system based on the HDRM150 motor.

The package combines the company’s smallest HDRM machine with a matched air-cooled inverter, creating a drop-in drive solution capable of operating at up to 700 V and delivering a peak motor output above 30 kW.

A key engineering feature is the elimination of the conventional liquid-cooling circuit. By removing coolant pumps, piping and related components, AEM says the architecture can reduce system complexity, mass and maintenance requirements. The solution is primarily aimed at demanding off-highway ancillary applications, where packaging simplicity and robustness can be as significant as peak power density.

The contrast between the two technologies illustrates the widening operating envelope of the HDRM platform: Titan addresses the higher-torque requirements of heavy commercial vehicle propulsion, while the compact HDRM150-based package targets applications in which simpler thermal management and straightforward integration are priorities.

“Titan represents a major step forward for heavy-duty electrification, building on a platform that our customers already know and trust,” said James Widmer, CEO of Advanced Electric Machines. He added that the company’s development strategy is focused both on simplifying electrification and on reducing dependence on rare-earth elements.

AEM technology will also be shown within SAF-HOLLAND’s TRAKr e-axle, which uses an HDRM150 motor as a generator for regenerative energy recovery. In this configuration, the electric machine converts recovered vehicle kinetic energy into electrical energy, demonstrating another application of the HDRM technology beyond conventional traction duty.