11:31 18-07-2026

Vimag Labs Patents a Motor Without Rare-Earth Magnets: Fewer China Ties, But No Production Date

Indian startup Vimag Labs has patented a motor that replaces rare-earth magnets with a controlled magnetic field. Efficiency and cost gains remain unproven.

Indian startup Vimag Labs wants to remove rare-earth permanent magnets from electric motors and replace them with a controlled magnetic field. But the patent and pilot tests with manufacturers don’t yet prove the approach will be more efficient or cheaper in a production EV.

The Bangalore-based startup has secured its fifth Indian patent for the Virtual Magnet Synchronous Motor platform. In it, power electronics and control algorithms generate the magnetic field. The company says the design remains brushless and doesn’t require slip rings. Ten more patent applications are pending.

Vimag Labs reports pilot projects with two-wheeler and passenger car manufacturers. It has signed a memorandum with Jendamark to scale production, and in January 2026 raised $5 million from Accel, Chakra Growth Fund and Thinkuvate. The startup plans to later offer motors rated from 200 to 600 kW for commercial and industrial vehicles.

The claimed benefit is mainly about supply. According to the International Energy Agency, China accounts for roughly 94% of permanent magnet output for high-power electric motors. Dropping them reduces exposure to pricing and export restrictions, but doesn’t guarantee lower energy consumption: Vimag Labs hasn’t yet disclosed independently verified data on efficiency, weight, cost or service life.

The development has reached real-vehicle testing, but no date has been announced for putting the VMSM into a production model. Until comparative test results are published, the motor’s main advantage stays industrial — going without rare-earth magnets — rather than a proven performance edge over conventional units.