This little Mercedes engine you can hold in your hand but delivers 1,000 hp

October 23, 2025

Lightweight muscle

Mercedes-Benz and the British company YASA have developed an electric motor that weighs barely 13 kilograms but spits out more than 1,000 horsepower. The motor weighs 12.7 kilograms to be exact and produces a peak power output of 750 kW, or 1,006 hp. That’s an absurd amount – especially when you consider that YASA’s engineer in the photo simply lifts the thing as if it were a shopping bag. The power density is 59 kW (nearly 80 hp) per kilo, a new (unofficial) world record. By comparison, the average electric motor in an EV is at least three times heavier.

Smart design

According to YASA, the motor is three times more powerful per kilogram than today’s best electric motors. The secret is in the design. Instead of a traditional cylindrical shape, YASA uses flat, disc-shaped rotors – a so-called axial flux construction. We don’t quite understand that either, but it sounds impressive. The result is a motor that can deliver more torque and power than a traditional EV motor, while being lighter and more compact.

From test bench to AMG

Mercedes-Benz bought YASA in 2021 and has since been working to integrate it into future AMG models. Think electric sedans and SUVs on the new AMG.EA platform, which is suitable for 800-volt technology and has room for three engines. Three of these YASA engines produce more than 3,000 horsepower – and that while weighing less than 40 kilograms combined. That sounds like a good recipe for a very smooth Mercedes-AMG.

No science fiction

What makes this engine extra special: it is not a concept or computer animation. It is really running, on a test bench. And it does so with ordinary, affordable materials. No rare metals, no expensive exotic alloys. According to YASA chief executive Joerg Miska, the engine not only achieves impressive peak power output, but can also deliver 350 to 400 kW (470 to 540 hp) for long periods without overheating.

What this means for electric cars

For now, this technology remains reserved for the supercar world – brands like Ferrari and Koenigsegg already use YASA technology. But as always with innovations: what’s in a supercar today may end up in a family car tomorrow.