Vimag Labs Clears Path for Magnet-Free EV Motors with New Patent

Accel-backed deep-tech startup Vimag Labs has been granted a foundational patent in India. Titled ‘A Robust Rotating Transformer Excited Synchronous Motor and Its Control’, this marks the company’s fifth successful patent grant. The approved intellectual property legally protects the core engineering architecture of its proprietary Virtual Magnet Synchronous Motor (VMSM) platform, an enterprise-level alternative to standard permanent magnet configurations.

Unlike standard Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs) that rely on physically integrated, non-adjustable rare-earth magnets within the rotor, the VMSM platform uses power electronics and real-time control algorithms to generate and regulate its magnetic fields dynamically. This approach creates a brushless, slip-ring-free synchronous motor that achieves or exceeds conventional permanent magnet output baselines without utilising any physical magnets. The latest grant expands the firm's total intellectual property pipeline to 5 granted patents, 10 active applications, and 15 filed trademarks covering motor architecture, software controls, and power electronics.

Also read: Ather Energy Partners LICO Materials to Recycle End-of-Life EV Batteries in India

The patent secures the company’s commercial roadmap as it transitions from research to active field deployment. Vimag Labs is currently running active pilots with established two-wheeler and passenger car original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), alongside ongoing development work to scale the architecture into light commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles, and high-power industrial infrastructure ranging from 200 kW to 600 kW. Secondary product pipelines are also targeting robotics, cooling infrastructure, and defense applications. For manufacturing partners, removing rare-earth magnets from the build sheet offers lower production costs and completely eliminates supply chain vulnerabilities linked to raw material sourcing, where China presently controls the vast majority of global processing capacity.

Manish Seth, Co-founder and CEO of Vimag Labs, stated that the patent is the result of over 87,600 engineering hours and will support the brand's commercial licensing and manufacturing scale-up strategies. To fund this expansion, the Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup recently closed a USD 5 million Series A investment round led by venture capital firm Accel, with additional capitalisation provided by Chakra Growth Fund and Thinkuvate.