17-Year-Old Invents a Game Changing Electric Car Motor
This award-winning innovation could transform EVs.
Most 17-year-old teens are just beginning to drive. They may even be thinking about buying their first car. How many of them are thinking about how to transform the car industry?
Robert Sansone, a Fort Pierce, Florida-based inventor is a natural born engineer, according to Smithsonian Magazine. He has completed at least 60 projects from high-speed running boots to a go-kart that can actually go 70 mph (112.65 kph) but his latest one can actually pave the way for a more sustainable way to manufacture electric vehicle motors.
Robert’s motor does not require the use of magnets that are made from rare Earth elements and this will provide substantial savings in terms of financial and environmental costs.
Inspired from a video
Two years ago, Robert saw a video about the pros and cons of electric cars, reported CBT News. One of the cons was the use of rare raw materials. Since he used electric motors in some of his previous projects, Robert was inspired to see if he could redesign motors in a way that didn’t have to use these materials.
He thought about using a synchronous reluctance motor like the ones that are used in small appliances. These motors do not use magnets. Robert decided that he could brainstorm a way to design a synchronous motor that was large enough to power an electric vehicle.
Moving forward to the finish
So, over the course of a year, he created a prototype that had more torque and efficiency than existing motors, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The prototype was constructed from 3-D printed plastic, copper wires, and a steel rotor.
“I didn't have a mentor to help me, really, so each time a motor failed, I had to do tons of research and try and troubleshoot what went wrong,” Robert told Smithsonian. “But eventually on the 15th motor, I was able to get a working prototype.”
The design won the first prize in the largest STEM competition in the world; the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. But he is not resting on his laurels.
Robert, now a senior at Fort Pierce Central High School, is working on his calculations and 3-D modeling to come up with a version 16 of his innovative motor. He hopes to be accepted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
His dreams are even larger. “Seeing the day when EVs are fully sustainable due to the help of my novel motor design would be a dream come true, Robert said.” His dream will impact people and the planet in a very positive way by transforming the electric vehicle industry.
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