Deepdrive is developing a gearless electric wheel hub drive, which, thanks to its compact, lightweight design, allows the drive to be integrated into the wheel. At the same time, the design should also be cost-effective, scalable, and, above all, offer high range and torque. In this way, the startup enables new vehicle architectures and gives automakers new freedom in construction and design.
In an interview with Munich Startup explained co-founder and co-managing director Felix Poernbacher What’s special about the Deepdrive concept:
"Thanks to this wheel hub drive, there's no need for a large motor mounted on the platform, which would make the work even more difficult for the hat builder, i.e., the person who builds the car. Our platform is completely flat, allowing maximum flexibility in the design and allowing you to build absolutely anything you want on it. And because we have the motor in the wheel, our platform is completely scalable and flexible in length and width. This means that any vehicle imaginable could be based on our platform."
“Immense interest” in the technology
Since its founding last year, the startup has significantly developed its drive concept, filed patents, built initial prototypes, and validated their functionality at the Fraunhofer Institute. Since the presentation of the electric wheel hub drive at the IAA in Munich in autumn 2021 According to the company, there is immense interest in the technology from both automobile and micro-mobility vehicle manufacturers and potential manufacturing partners.
"The transition to e-mobility concepts is one of the most important trends of our time. We are convinced that our drive system can solve some of the fundamental problems facing major manufacturers. Now it's time to attract the numerous interested parties and establish our technology on the market,"
says Stefan Ender, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Deepdrive.
"We have an ambitious team and are already working with key strategic partners and potential customers. Thanks to the support of our investors, we have the necessary financial backing to fully exploit the favorable momentum. We look forward to working together,"
adds Poernbacher.
The company plans to invest the funds from the financing round in optimizing its technology, expanding its team, and meeting the immense market demand for prototypes. In the long term, Deepdrive aims to offer complete plug-and-play vehicle platforms that enable the use of the innovative drive in modular, flexibly scalable systems. This should enable vehicle manufacturers to save development costs and time by developing their own models directly on the Deepdrive platform.
“We see great potential in Deepdrive”
“With its innovative electric drive technology, Deepdrive operates in one of the core areas of electromobility – efficiency, the creation of range and cost advantages, as well as compact vehicle integration are addressed to a high degree by Deepdrive,”
so Roman Huber, Managing Director at Bavaria Capital.
“We see great potential in Deepdrive in a rapidly growing future market.”
And Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger says about the participation of the Bavarian Growth Fund:
"With the Bavarian Growth Fund, we have been supporting Bavarian high-tech companies with equity capital during crucial growth phases for many years. In cooperation with private investors, innovation drivers like Deepdrive have the opportunity to establish themselves as internationally successful players with numerous highly qualified jobs in competitive markets thanks to the investment of the Bavarian Growth Fund. This benefits the entire business location in the long term."
