Infinitum, creator of the sustainable air-core motor, got $185 million in Series E funding led by Just Climate with participation from Galvanize Climate Solutions and NGP. Moreover, existing investors including Alliance Resource Partners, Rockwell Automation, Riverstone Holdings, Chevron Technology Ventures, Cottonwood Technology Fund, and Ajax Strategies also participated in this round. Thus, bringing total funding to-date to $350 million.

Funds will be used to expand the company and increase production to meet customer demand. Furthermore, to drive decarbonization in the industrial sector, one of the largest and hardest-to-abate emitters of greenhouse gases.

Disruptive, High Impact Solution

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), motors are the largest single end-user of energy, consuming 53% of electricity globally. Particularly, in the US industrial sector, motors alone consume nearly 70% of total electricity used to power numerous core industrial applications. This includes compressors, pumps, fans, and material processing and handling equipment.

However, the majority of motors today waste energy because they operate at a single speed. Since thirty percent of the growth in global electricity demand by 2040 is expected to come from industrial motors as the sector expands and shifts to electrification. According to Deloitte, adoption of higher-efficiency, variable-speed motors in industrial applications is therefore critical for reducing energy and emissions.

Infinitum’s advanced motors meet this challenge through a built-in variable frequency drive (VFD) that reduces energy usage by running the motor at lower speeds when possible. Moreover, the motor is 50 percent smaller and lighter, uses 66 percent less copper and no iron in the stator, and consumes 10 percent less energy¹ than traditional motors.

Infinitum’s air-core motors, so named because the stator does not have an iron core. That is, replacing the copper-wound iron core found in traditional motors with a lightweight PCB stator that is 10x more reliable.

Manufacturing and servicing Infinitum motors is less carbon intensive than traditional motors. Thus, motor’s modular design allows components to be reused multiple times.

“We believe replacing millions of outdated, single-speed motors with higher-efficiency, variable-speed motors is key to helping the industrial sector meet sustainability objectives and solving the net zero challenge,” said Benoit Grobon, a director at Just Climate. In addition, Grobon said, “Infinitum’s motors are a disruptive, high-impact solution that can be produced at scale and easily implemented to benefit industry through reduced energy consumption and waste.”

Sophisticated Motor System

The implementation of advanced motor technology in the US industrial and commercial sectors has the potential to save 127 terawatt-hours per year (TWh/yr), translating into cost savings of $14.7 billion and reductions of 90.2 MMT of CO₂, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. This is equivalent to the annual electricity use of all households in California and North Carolina combined.

To accelerate the adoption of high-efficiency, variable speed motors across the global industrial sector, Rockwell Automation and Infinitum are jointly developing a motor system that is compatible with Rockwell’s market-leading industrial automation solutions. The resulting motor and low-voltage drive solution will be distributed through Rockwell, expanding the opportunity for global industrial sector clients to easily deploy a sustainable motor system and cut energy consumption, operating costs and material waste.

Meanwhile, Barry Elliot, Vice President & General Manager, Power Control, Rockwell Automation, “We recognize the vast opportunity that Infinitum’s motors can have across numerous applications to make the industrial sector more productive and sustainable.

“The ease and benefits offered by Infinitum’s combined motor and VFD system can serve as a catalyst for industrial companies to easily transition to using VFDs and save on energy costs. We’re excited to expand our partnership with Infinitum and look forward to the impact it will have on decarbonizing the sector.”