Following a successful pilot project with promising test bench results, BMW Group and Deepdrive are now planning their first real-world test. The driving characteristics of various drive variants will be tested on the road in BMW Group models.
The motor developed by Deepdrive promises higher efficiency in a compact design by combining two electric motors into one. Conventional electric motors consist of a stator that drives either an internal or external rotor. In the dual-rotor concept of the startup, the stator drives both an internal and an external rotor simultaneously.
The collaboration between Deepdrive and BMW has been ongoing since IAA 2021. Karol Virsik, head of research vehicle concepts and technologies at BMW Group, says:
“Deepdrive’s prototype parts mostly exceeded the announced specifications. That’s quite unusual at such an early stage with a completely new technology.”
The wheel drives enable lower energy consumption, space requirements, weight, and costs. According to BMW’s assessment, the concept is fundamentally attractive for use in very different models and potentially scalable. Virsik looks ahead:
“Deepdrive has developed an exciting vision for the electric drive of the future. In the Startup Garage, we can experiment together on what drives of the generation after next could look like.”
Deepdrive also works with other manufacturers and major suppliers such as Continental. In 2024, the startup received not only the Munich Startup Award for its concept, but also the German Innovation Prize. Felix Pörnbacher, co-founder and co-CEO of Deepdrive, explains:
“The collaboration with BMW was a very early springboard for us. It helped us navigate the complex corporate world and meet and exceed the high standards of the automotive industry. Now our next goal is to get it into a production model.”
