Modal Motors is trying to cut China out of electric motors entirely

Michael Van Steenburg, who spent the past decade building electric motors in North America, launched Modal Motors to produce small motors that eliminate rare-earth magnets from their designs. He says the move is intended to reduce dependence on China, which he and others have accused of using its dominance over rare-earth materials as leverage.

Modal Motors is advancing two distinct designs: a compact motor targeted at drones but also suitable for fans, blowers and actuators, and a planar unit the company calls the Hybrid Enigma Drive, which is intended for applications that require a lower profile. The compact motor is described by the company as optimized to minimize mass while maximizing torque density and efficiency.

Van Steenburg argues that many firms attempting to reshore motor manufacturing are still building designs that rely on rare-earth magnets and are counting on a domestic rare-earth industry to scale up quickly. He says a reliable U.S. supply of those materials remains years away, a rationale behind Modal’s pursuit of magnet-free architectures.

The founder draws on decades of experience in automotive motor development and framed Modal’s effort as part of a broader push to diversify supply chains for hard tech. He also noted a historical irony: in the late 1990s he worked on a hybrid gas-electric drivetrain that China had sought to adopt, underscoring how geopolitical and commercial dynamics around technology and materials have evolved.

Modal Motors will showcase its work at TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield, where the company is one of the competing founder teams. The company’s public statements emphasize design goals and supply-chain independence; technical performance claims are presented on Modal’s website and through the founder’s commentary preparing for the event.