Technology

The first of its kind.

  • No gearbox, active cooling, or oversizing needed
  • C-Motive’s electrostatic motors use printed circuit boards instead of magnets
  • A proprietary dielectric fluid inside the machine enables peak performance

 

No add-ons needed
Traditional electric machines have been around for over 200 years, but require the use of other technologies to aid their issues. Upsizing motors accounts for efficiency losses and safety concerns, gearboxes need to slow down motor speeds, and active cooling is required to reduce heat generation from copper windings.

 

No gearbox?
Traditional electromagnetic machines are optimized for high-speed operation and require a gearbox to slow rotational speed and meet desired torque output. Electrostatic machines are naturally suited for low-speed operation and deliver low electrical losses.

Technology Benefits

Higher efficiency in both motor and generator applications – more range in electric drivetrains, lower utility bills for industrial / manufacturing plants, greater energy generation from renewable generation

Torque generation at low speeds without a gearbox and without any active cooling requirements

Up to 10x the specific torque (Nm/kg) of traditional motors

Silent operation – both audible and electromagnetic noise

Ability to hold a position with virtually no energy losses (<0.2% full power)

Precise motion control with no torque ripple and smooth motion (no cogging torque)

Ability to operate fully water submerged

Scalable up to multi-megawatt size with the same design principles

No rare earth metals or magnets – full domestic supply chain

No other company is developing commercially viable electrostatic machines.

C-Motive’s patent protection is diverse, worldwide, and comprehensive. C-Motive owns 15 patents granted and applications, has exclusively licensed an additional 12 patents from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is currently pursuing 20 additional patents, and has over 50 trade secrets.

To learn more about the first principles of electrostatic machines, please see the IEEE paper Macroscale Electrostatic Rotating Machines and Drives: A Review and Multiplicative Gain Performance Strategy authored by C-Motive employees.

 

Within C-Motive machines are sets of cascading and alternating rotor (moving) and stator (affixed) plates. These rotors and stators are made from standard printed circuit boards (PCBs) and have a highly optimized set of conductive metal traces (poles) that radiate out from the center hub on the plates. 

 

In addition to these mechanical and electrical innovations, a proprietary dielectric liquid fills C-Motive’s machines. C-Motive’s liquid is safe, non-toxic, and is sourced from commodity chemicals to ensure the overall safety of our products in the field. 

 

The machine’s drive controls the voltages that determine the speed and torque output. These drives make C-Motive machines customizable for any application.

 

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Why hasn’t anyone done this before?

Technically, C-Motive isn’t the first to try working with electrostatic machines – Ben Franklin did it first. The series of multiplicative gains (mechanical design, electrical topology, and electrochemistry of the liquid) described above has been built upon the shoulders of others that have studied electrostatic machine designs. In fact, the concept of using electrostatic forces to build a motor was first described by Benjamin Franklin in the mid-1700s. Yet limitations of the day – both power electronics and material science – relegated electrostatic machines as a topic for academic study, but not practical, commercial implementation. Ben Franklin’s design relied on thimbles and Leyden jars; C-Motive’s machines use highly optimized printed circuit boards, modern power electronics, and achieve levels of torque that could never have been dreamt of in the past.