AN ADVANCED lightweight electric motor designed by Oxford University engineers has been selected to power a new four-seat sports coupé, with track tests scheduled for the end of 2009 - a successful step for further development in the automotive field.

Although the new motor promises considerable benefits in high performance cars, the improved efficiency and energy-saving potential of the concept in a range of other applications is also enormous. According to the researchers, more than half the electricity consumed in the world powers electric motors for a multitude of uses.

Isis Innovation, the technology transfer company for Oxford University, is managing the intellectual property and commercial agreements for the electric motor project. The first user, UK engineering company Delta Motorsport, plans to track test its prototype car towards the end of 2009.

Dr Malcolm McCulloch, of the Electrical Power Group in Oxford's Department of Engineering Science, said: "The motor can achieve high torque for its weight and ultimately means a smaller and cheaper motor. Torque is the twisting force that accelerates the car, and the peak torque we are aiming for is 500Nm from 25kg. We have optimised the materials and design so that the motor is lighter and more effective, giving half the volume and twice the torque for the same power output."

Nick Carpenter, the technical director of Delta Motorsport, has worked for F1 teams and also on programmes in environmentally related technologies and aerodynamic analysis. He said: "We believe electric motors are the only way forward for road cars. All road cars will be driven electrically, regardless of how the energy is stored in the vehicle.

"It is an incredibly exciting time for the automotive market. There hasn't been a rate of change like this since the first few years, and we think that electric drive is going to be the one common theme. We are delighted to have been so involved in the design of a viable, cost-effective, high torque density motor."

The Oxford University Challenge Seed Fund is supporting the project with investment to see the project through to prototype testing in a vehicle in test cars.

Dr McCulloch confirmed the group is also looking at aerospace, renewable and industrial uses of the design, adding: "Over 50 per cent of the world's electricity powers electric motors, so it's extremely important to improve the efficiency of motors. This motor can be adapted to achieve better performance in a whole range of applications."

The key to the new motor's efficiency lies in technology advances that include a segmented armature and novel use of materials. The resulting reduced use of copper and iron lowers the weight, while the innovation in use of materials also gives a claimed efficiency of 97 per cent.

The design allows for the use of novel combinations of materials even for large motors. Other advantages include reduced torque ripple (lack of smoothness in torque output in a variable-speed motor drive as the rotor moves from one position to another) because of multi-phase winding. The segmented design of the armature also results in improved cooling characteristics.

Importantly, the technology is "scalable" for large generators such as those used in renewable energy (such as low-speed wind and tidal) applications, because a generator is effectively a motor "working in reverse").

The light weight and good power-to-weight performance of the concept have been demonstrated by a research unit designed for automotive application that weighs 13kg but delivers a peak torque of 130Nm (10Nm/kg) and peak power of about 50kW.

Simulations show that the same motor is capable of achieving a peak torque of more than 200Nm and a peak power of more than 150kW. As well as high torque drive applications the technology could be applied to regenerative braking systems - in hybrid vehicles for example - or wind turbines without the requirement for direct drive gearboxes.