As the push to bring advanced manufacturing back to the United States gains momentum, one startup is taking a different approach to a major weakness in the country’s industrial supply chain.
Modal Motors, founded by longtime electric-motor engineer Michael Van Steenburg, is developing motors that don’t depend on rare-earth magnets. The company hopes that eliminating those materials can reduce reliance on a supply chain that remains heavily dominated by China.
Van Steenburg has spent roughly a decade working on electric motors across the U.S. and North America. With Modal Motors, he is attempting to apply that experience to a problem he believes is becoming increasingly urgent for industries such as drones, robotics and other forms of hard tech.
The startup is also one of the companies selected for the Startup Battlefield 200 competition at TechCrunch Disrupt.
Moving Beyond Rare-Earth Magnets
Electric motors used in many modern machines rely on permanent magnets containing rare-earth materials. China has become a dominant force in the mining, processing and manufacturing of these materials, creating a supply-chain vulnerability for companies looking to manufacture advanced hardware in the U.S.
Van Steenburg argues that simply moving motor assembly from China to America doesn’t completely solve that problem.
Several companies are working to establish domestic motor manufacturing, but Modal Motors believes some of those efforts still depend on rare-earth magnets.
Van Steenburg says the U.S. is still years away from developing a sufficiently large domestic supply of the materials needed to replace China’s role in the market.
His approach is to eliminate the dependency rather than wait for the domestic supply chain to catch up.
“China’s already flexed its muscles a couple times,” Van Steenburg said, pointing to restrictions affecting access to rare-earth products.
Motors Designed for Drones and More
Modal Motors is currently developing two main motor concepts.
The first is a compact electric motor designed primarily for drones. The company says the same basic technology could also be used in applications such as fans, blowers and actuators.
The design focuses on achieving high torque and efficiency without adding unnecessary weight — an important consideration for drones, where every additional gram can affect flight performance and battery life.
The second design takes a more unconventional approach.
The Hybrid Enigma Drive
Modal’s more experimental product is called the Hybrid Enigma Drive.
Rather than using the familiar cylindrical form associated with many electric motors, the Enigma Drive uses a planar, or flat, architecture.
That could allow the motor to be installed in spaces where a conventional motor would be too bulky or tall.
For robotics and other compact machines, that form factor could be particularly useful. Designers could potentially integrate motors into thinner sections of a machine instead of having to reserve space for a traditional motor assembly.
The company is still developing the technology and working toward getting its products ready for customers.
Decades of Automotive Experience
Van Steenburg isn’t new to electric-drive technology.
His background includes decades of work in the automotive industry, giving him experience with the engineering challenges involved in developing and manufacturing electric motors and drivetrains.
There is also an unusual connection between his career and the supply-chain problem Modal Motors is now trying to address.
In the late 1990s, Van Steenburg worked on a hybrid gasoline-electric drivetrain that attracted interest from China for use in a planned mass-market vehicle sometimes referred to as the country’s “People’s Car.”
Today, he is working on technology specifically intended to reduce dependence on China’s industrial supply chains.
Van Steenburg described the contrast as somewhat ironic, but said his motivation has remained consistent: taking on technically difficult problems and pursuing alternatives that others may overlook.
A Supply Chain Problem Years in the Making
For Van Steenburg, the current debate over domestic manufacturing isn’t a new issue.
He argues that the risks surrounding rare-earth materials have been developing for decades as China expanded its position in mining, mineral rights, processing and manufacturing.
His concern is that the U.S. could spend years rebuilding a domestic supply chain only to recreate the same dependency on rare-earth magnets inside an American-made motor.
Modal Motors is therefore pursuing a different strategy: design the rare-earth materials out of the motor itself.
That approach could prove particularly relevant as demand grows for drones, robots, electric vehicles and other machines that depend on compact, efficient electric motors.
Modal Motors’ Bet on American Manufacturing
The company’s pitch is ultimately about more than making another electric motor.
Modal Motors wants to combine domestic manufacturing with a different motor architecture that avoids one of the most vulnerable parts of the existing supply chain.
Whether that approach can compete on cost, efficiency, durability and scale remains to be seen.
But Van Steenburg believes the timing is right. As governments and companies look for ways to reduce dependence on overseas supply chains, technologies that eliminate critical imported materials could become increasingly valuable.
For Modal Motors, the goal is straightforward: build electric motors in the U.S. without having to wait for the country to recreate China’s rare-earth supply chain first.
