autoevolution
 

Saietta’s AFT 140 Electric Motor Boosts Range on Renault Twizy by 10 Percent

While some manufacturers are busy designing cars, others have taken all their attention and put it in motor efficiency. One of those teams is Saietta.
Saietta AFT 140 and Twizy 11 photos
Photo: Saietta Group
Renault TwizyRenault TwizySaietta AFT 140 and TwizyRenault TwizyRenault TwizyRenault TwizyRenault TwizyRenault TwizyAFT 140 MotorAFT 140 Motor
If you’ve never heard of Saietta, not a problem. It's just that this team has been developing a motor known as the AFT 140 (axial flux traction). This is what this article is all about. After years of hard work and innovation, this U.K.-based company is now ready to show the world what they’ve been doing.

The AFT 140 is a permanent brushless and fully sealed magnet motor with a focus on making EVs more efficient with a single charge. To find out if all their hard work has paid off, Saietta has just tested the new motor on a Renault Twizy and the results are, well, continue reading to find out.

A recent trial that took place in Amsterdam pit two standard Twizy models against each other. This wouldn’t normally be of any interest to most people, because who cares about 17 horsepower and a top speed of 80 kph (50 mph), but one of the two models had an AFT 140 motor strapped to it. Other than that, all other components were left untouched.

AFT 140 Motor
Photo: Saietta Group
From here and over the course of two days, the Twizy twins drove on and on, and on, and on, and... you get the idea; through a diverse range of traffic, weather, temperature, and even various road surfaces just to see if all the work has been in vain, and it hasn’t.

The tests, led and overseen by independent New Electric engineering consultancy firm, concluded that the AFT 140 brings with it an extension on range by 10%.

“We are absolutely delighted that these independent tests have shown the technical capabilities of our AFT 140 electric motor, proving the significant improvement the technology can make to applications in the real-world today,” said Wicher Kist, Chief Executive Officer at Saietta Group.

To make sure adequate readings were taken, and no foul play instigated, each Twizy was fit with a laptop that processed performance data to New Electric. Details later showed that, not only did the motor increase range, but also performed exceptionally well during start/stop conditions. Another feature of the AFT 140 is its ability for regenerative braking; another area where it excelled.

Renault Twizy
Photo: Renault Group
So why be so excited about a 10% increase in range? It's simple. Saietta’s motor is a bit different than others on the market in that it can also be applied to a very large range of vehicles. If you happen to run across the manufacturer’s website, you’ll quickly grasp the idea that the AFT 140 was designed to suit vehicles ranging from scooters to motorcycles, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, and nearly any other lightweight vehicle you can think of.

As to why a Twizy was used, think about it. It seems to be the perfect transitionary vehicle with which Saietta can also gauge just how much of a beating their new motor can take, and most importantly, how it performs at that limit.

Currently, the AFT 140 is the first liquid-cooled motor from Saietta to ever make it into production. But, if improvements like the ones described here are to be kept on a steady trajectory, it won’t be long before Saietta turns into a sort of Bafang, or Bosch or even Siemens. What, they seem to have all the right goods in place.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
press release
About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories