Turntide Technologies has been selected for a £17m UK government-backed grant project to accelerate volume production of its axial-flux electric motors, in a non-dilutive capital injection aimed at anchoring high-power motor manufacturing in the North East of England.
Turntide designs and builds electric motors, power electronics, energy storage and thermal systems, with operations spanning North America, the United Kingdom and India. Its UK base in Gateshead sits at the centre of the newly funded programme, which is intended to move its axial-flux range from lower-volume assembly towards higher-volume, cast-casing production for original equipment manufacturers.
The award, announced on 10 August, is worth £17m and is directed specifically at industrialising the company's axial-flux motor line. Because it is grant funding rather than equity, the capital does not dilute existing shareholders or reset Turntide's valuation, giving the company balance-sheet support for capital expenditure without a new priced round.
The technology at the heart of the project is Turntide's axial-flux portfolio, which includes the AF300 and AF400 families and the AF430S, the first models built with cast casings designed for high-volume manufacture. The motors deliver high torque in a compact footprint, with the company's newest stackable drive units reaching up to 700kW of peak power. Turntide markets the range across off-highway machinery, commercial vehicles, rail, marine and premium automotive applications, and says hybrid systems using the motors can cut fuel consumption by between 10% and 20%.
The grant lands as the UK government widens its industrial support for the automotive supply chain through the multi-billion-pound DRIVE35 programme, which is channelling public money into electric-vehicle production and the component makers that feed it. Motors and power electronics are among the higher-value parts the government is keen to localise, having watched much of the battery and drivetrain supply base migrate to Asia over the past decade.
Turntide reached a valuation above $1bn in 2022 after an $80m fundraise, positioning it among the better-capitalised names in the electric-motor sector. The company has since concentrated on axial-flux drive units as a route to differentiating on power density, a metric that matters to OEMs trying to fit electrification into existing vehicle platforms.
Scaling volume production is the immediate test. Cast-casing designs such as the AF430S are engineered for automated, higher-throughput lines, and the grant is intended to help fund the tooling and process work that a step-change in output requires. If Turntide can convert the award into committed OEM orders, the Gateshead site would strengthen its claim to be a supplier of record for the UK's next generation of electrified vehicles.
Original source: The Manila Times (GlobeNewswire) — https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/08/10/tmt-newswire/globenewswire/turntide-selected-for-17-million-uk-government-grant-project-to-accelerate-volume-production-of-axial-flux-motors/2401680
