A Texas-based start-up company, named Linear Labs, originally started as just a father and son trying to create a linear generator that could provide power and clean water to impoverished communities. Even in this they have outdone themselves; their Hunstable Electric Turbine seems to be a revolutionary way of looking at electric generation.
Fred Hunstable is an engineer who has extensive experience designing electrical infrastructure for nuclear plants. His son Brad said Fred cracked a code around 4 years ago when he created “a linear generator that produced massive amounts of electricity from a slow-moving windmill.”
Now they plan on using their electric motors in everything from air conditioners to scooters and other EVs. Linear Labs has now signed deals with eight different companies, they have more than 27 patents issued and 34 patents pending in 9 different countries, and 15 provisional patents.
The Hunstable Electric Turbine (HET) offers 2 times the amount of torque density, 3 times more power, and offers 10 percent more range than current electric motors. The design incorporates four rotors surrounding a stator, and all four sides contribute to the torque. There are no wasted magnetic fields as all move in the same direction and the HET utilizes all of the incorporated copper for energy conversion.
CEO and co-founder Brad Hunstable describes the motor:
Our motor is a 3-dimensional circumferential flux 4 rotor machine. The HET motor is a new class of motor and these new motors currently produce torque up to an 8:1 gear ratio for the same size permanent magnet machine used today. This produces unprecedented high torque and very high efficiencies at low RPMs.
The HET design allows for a simplified EV system with no performance loss. There is no gearbox or DC to DC converter, the lower voltage itself helps deliver more range. The unique magnetic arrangement is capable of producing 100% more torque than commercial counterparts that are within the same size frame and geometrical casing.
The HET has a very quiet motor drive system which would make it ideal for air conditioners or any home motors such as pumps or compressors. As for the EV market, they may need to wait before any big-name players jump on board.
Brad is hopeful that it’s just a few years away before he sees their motors powering EVs, as he told the Dallas News:
I literally see a day where it says ‘HET-powered’ on every car, on the outside of every scooter, on the outside of an air conditioner. My hope would be, if we do it correctly, that the brand becomes one that represents power and torque but also a conscientious consumer.
The company has plans to move north to the Fort Worth area this month, expanding not just the facilities but also the number of employees from 25 to around 100. For now, they will continue to focus their attention on motors for electric scooters and air conditioners, due to their similar size and available markets.
These new electric motors from Linear Labs have the potential to do very well, especially with the world looking to reduce emissions. They consume less resources and raw materials to manufacture, dropping assembly costs and offering more power whilst using less energy. If the scooter and air conditioner motors do well, it may not be long before Linear Labs has the success that this father and son hoped for.
