--- title: "New Electric ‘Donut Motor’ Makes 856 HP but Weighs Just 88 Pounds" date: "2025-01-08" modified: "2025-01-08" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/new-electric-donut-motor-makes-856-hp-but-weighs-just-88-pounds" categories: - "Car Tech" - "Electric Vehicles" - "News" --- # New Electric ‘Donut Motor’ Makes 856 HP but Weighs Just 88 Pounds ![]() Look out, [Koenigsegg](), there might be a new king of the electric motor hill. British electric vehicle technology brand Donut Lab has a new EV motor deliciously named the "Donut Motor," and it packs 856 horsepower. Even better, it weighs just 88 pounds. That's a better power-to-weight ratio than [Koenigsegg's Dark Matter ]()motor, which weighs about the same but makes 822 horsepower. That's a small difference but the Donut Motor claims to make a *lot* more torque. According to Donut Labs, in its automotive spec (there are truck and bike applications as well), this new motor can make as much as 3,172 pound-feet of torque. That seems a bit extreme and I'm wondering what sort of lab-specific circumstances are needed to make that much twist. But even when drastically reduced for road use and actually applied to the wheels, it should still be an eye-watering figure. ![]() ![]() ![]() Perhaps more interesting isn't the maximum power output of Donut Labs' motor but that it's integrated into the wheel and tire. An 88-pound integrated wheel motor does sound too heavy, but the motor would be scaled down drastically for street applications. Because unless you have a death wish, cars don't need 856 horsepower per wheel. Much smaller, lighter versions of the motor can be integrated into the wheel and still make plenty of power for even the fastest-performance cars. “Great unsprung mass has been the most important reason why everyone hasn’t used motors integrated with the tire in their vehicles. Through the torque and power density we’ve now achieved, the relative weight of the motor is so small that for the first time the unsprung mass is insignificant,” said Donut Lab CEO Marko Lehtimäki. Smaller versions of the integrated wheel Donut Motor are already used in [Verge]() motorcycles, where weight matters even more than in cars. So four-wheeled applications should theoretically be even easier to integrate. Donut Labs even claims that this new motor is up to 50% cheaper to make than conventional electric motors, so if Donut can get these into the hands of more automakers, they can be game changers for small, more affordable EVs. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()