Deep Drive has developed an electric motor that sits directly on the wheel – and secured an alliance with the DAX giant Continental. “Ten years ago this wouldn’t have been possible,” says the founder in an interview.
The founding team of Deep Drive. Six out of seven met at the Technical University of Munich. Top row: Stefan Ender, Maximilian Habersbrunner, Christopher Römmelmayer, Markus Domme. Bottom row: Felix Pörnbacher, Alexander Rosen, Dean Petrovski (from left to right). Deep Drive
Senior matches junior: The automotive supplier Continental is entering into a strategic partnership with the startup Deep Drive. The young Munich company has developed an electric motor that is said to be 20 percent more efficient than comparable electric models. There is a 150-year “age difference” between Continental (*1871) and Deep Drive (*2021).
Gründerszene spoke to Felix Pörnbacher, the 28-year-old managing director of Deep Drive, to find out why this connection wouldn’t have worked ten years ago, but makes sense today – and what sets his technology apart.
An electric motor that sits directly on the wheel
Deep Drive’s radial flux twin rotor motor is smaller and lighter than other motors with greater efficiency. On the one hand, as is usual with motors, it can be used as a central drive in the middle of the vehicle – on the other hand, it can also be used as a wheel hub drive, i.e. directly on the wheel. This is not yet available as standard anywhere in the world.
The wheel hub drive “will become an interesting market segment,” Pörnbacher predicted in March 2023 Handelsblatt. At that time, the Munich-based company had raised 15 million euros in fresh capital in Series A. The financing was led by Continental Corporate VC and BMW’s VC.
Startup meets corporate giant: Matthias Matic from Continental (center) with the managing directors of Deep Drive, Stefan Ender (left) and Felix Pörnbacher. Continental
Now Continental and Deep Drive have become one strategic partnership determined. Regardless of the investment by Continental VC, it quickly became apparent “that it simply made sense,” says Pörnbacher in an interview with Gründerszene. Why?
On the one hand, it’s a question of technology: Deep Drive wants to use its motor directly on the wheel – that’s where the brake is always located. In order to make optimal use of the limited space, “you have to have a motor and brakes are actually inevitably integrated into a common module.” The Munich-based company’s conclusion: “We build very good engines, Conti is the world market leader for brakes – we take that together and build an engine-brake module.”
The alliance’s stated first goal is to develop an electric motor with an integrated brake circuit that is located directly on the wheel.
On the one hand, Continental is contributing the brake components, and on the other hand, the traditional company wants to use its know-how in series development and industrialization to bring the deep drive innovation “on the road in a timely manner,” according to the DAX group. According to Auto Motor und Sport magazine, it could happen as early as 2025.
There is no exact timeline until the wheel hub motor is ready for market – but “the product will definitely be on the road in the next few years,” says Pörnbacher. Deep Drive
The collaboration between startup and corporation would not have worked like this 10 years ago, says the founder
In addition to the technical component, this is Deep Drive’s second motivation for working with the corporate giant. A lot has happened in the last few years: “I don’t think this collaboration would have worked like this ten years ago,” says the founder. But because the industry is changing dramatically in the face of electromobility, “the focus is much more on shorter, faster development times” – and on high-tech applications such as those from Deep Drive.
Pörnbacher uses the image of a tanker and a speedboat: “As a young company, we depend on our big brother to help us get to market. But today, especially in the automotive industry, the large tanker is just as dependent on the speedboat.” There is no fear of a power imbalance.
For Pörnbacher, Deep Drive has invented a “mother technology” that will revolutionize e-mobility. No company in the world yet installs motors that sit in the wheel as standard.
“Compact and small and still a lot of power”
According to Pörnbacher, the advantages are: The car gains a lot of space where the engine would otherwise be installed: for passengers, as a loading area, for a larger battery. The technology is more efficient; the motor needs a smaller battery to travel the same distance as other electric motors. The battery is the highest cost factor in an electric car – so the double motor should also help make electric cars cheaper and more sustainable because fewer rare earths are used in production.
This is what Deep Drive’s patented motor looks like. The “radial flux twin rotor motor” sits directly on the hubcap of the car. Deep Drive
Normal electric motors work like this: A rotor rotates around the stator, both of which are magnetically charged. The magnetic fields interact with each other and the rotor rotates. Deep Drive, on the other hand, relies on a double rotor. This means “much more energy is converted into real performance,” says Pörnbacher.
There is also criticism of motors that are built into wheels: wheel hub motors have a small influence on driving dynamics because the motor is not cushioned in the tires. “That’s how it is, that’s physics,” Pörnbacher confirms the criticism. But he doesn’t think a normal driver will notice the difference.