The deep-tech sector in India just took a massive leap forward. Accel-backed Vimag Labs has officially been granted its fifth patent in India, marking a major milestone for electric vehicle technology. The patent, titled “A Robust Rotating Transformer Excited Synchronous Motor and Its Control,” locks down the foundational architecture for the company’s brilliant Virtual Magnet Synchronous Motor (VMSM) platform.
Essentially, they have built a rare-earth-free, software-controlled electric motor platform. It is India’s very first software-defined, magnet-free motor platform, and it could completely change how electric vehicles and industrial machinery are powered.
How Does a Virtual Magnet Synchronous Motor (VMSM) Work?
Traditional electric vehicles rely on conventional Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs). These require fixed rare-earth magnets to be physically embedded inside the rotor.
Vimag Labs is doing things entirely differently. Their software-defined motor platform generates and controls its magnetic field in real time. By using smart power electronics and proprietary control algorithms, the VMSM acts as a brushless, slip-ring-free synchronous motor. The clever bit? It completely matches or even beats the performance of standard permanent magnet solutions, but without using a single magnet.
This new grant is a massive boost for the firm’s intellectual property portfolio. Vimag Labs now boasts:
- 5 granted patents
- 10 further patents in the pipeline
- 15 filed trademarks covering motor architecture, software controls, power electronics, and application-specific implementations
Powering Everything from E-Scooters to Defence Systems
This software-controlled motor tech isn’t just a lab experiment; commercial deployment is already moving at pace. Vimag Labs currently has active pilots under way with established two-wheeler and passenger car manufacturers.
But they aren’t stopping at cars and e-scooters. The company plans to scale the technology into light commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles, and high-power industrial systems ranging from 200 kW to 600 kW. They are also developing implementations for robotics, defence, and cooling systems.
For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), switching to a magnet-free electric motor offers two massive benefits:
- Lower production costs for the electric motor itself.
- Total freedom from supply-chain risks associated with rare-earth magnets, the majority of which are currently sourced from China.
By keeping things local, this technology directly champions India’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat goals, proving that high-end electric motor technology can be developed indigenously.
According to Manish Seth, Co-founder and CEO of Vimag Labs, this single patent is the result of more than 87,600 engineering hours. He noted that the breakthrough strengthens their commercial roadmap—including OEM partnerships, licensing, and manufacturing scale-up—while building a scalable, software-driven base for global electrification.
Strong Funding and Manufacturing Support
The future looks incredibly bright for the deep-tech firm. Vimag Labs recently secured USD 5 million in a Series A funding round led by Accel, with extra participation from Chakra Growth Fund and Thinkuvate.
To make sure they can actually meet future demand, they have also signed a manufacturing MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Jendamark Pvt. Ltd. to directly support the production scale-up of the VMSM platform.
