Kite Magnetics Secures an A$2 Million Grant to Scale Aeroperm Motor Core Material

Melbourne-based advanced materials company Kite Magnetics has secured an A$2-million grant (about US$1.4 million) through the Australian Government's Industry Growth Program to commercialize its Aeroperm stator core material for electric motors.

What Happened

The grant funding will support an A$4.1-million project that includes scaling Kite Magnetics' pilot manufacturing line in Victoria, generating automotive-grade validation data and delivering prototypes to customers. The company expects the work to advance Aeroperm from Technology Readiness Level 4 to Level 6. Aeroperm is a nanocrystalline soft magnetic material designed to replace conventional electrical steel in electric motor stator cores. According to Kite Magnetics, its stator core losses are up to 97% below electrical steel under specified operating conditions, and the substitution does not require a full motor redesign or compromise motor torque.

Why It Matters

Energy lost in a stator core becomes heat, which raises cooling requirements and forces compromises across the battery, inverter, motor and thermal management system. Kite Magnetics estimates that resulting battery and system savings could reach up to A$1,140 per vehicle, equivalent to up to about A$1.14 billion per million vehicles produced, depending on the vehicle platform and motor design. The company is currently delivering samples and paid prototypes to more than 20 organizations, including OEMs, Tier 1 and 2 suppliers and electric mobility partners.

The Bottom Line

Kite Magnetics founder and CEO Richard Parsons stated that most EV range increases are pursued at the battery pack, software or power electronics level, while his company is targeting a more fundamental source of loss: the magnetic material inside the motor. The company is also preparing an A$22-million Series A funding round to scale manufacturing and complete customer qualification.