Tau Showcases Gamma eMachine at Climate Week 2025: Validation of Rare-Earth-Free Electric Motor Platform Highlighted at Columbia Center of Advanced Electrification
New software-defined motor technology delivers high efficiency, lower costs, and supply chain resiliency for the next-generation of electrification
New York / Redwood City, CA, 01 October 2025 – Tau, a leader in advanced electrification, showcased the validation of a new electric motor technology during Climate Week 2025 at a Columbia University symposium for energy innovation. The machine, known as Gamma, is a software-defined motor that is built on a technology stack of advanced power electronics, controls, and hardware design that eliminate the need for rare earth magnets.
Traditional motor and actuator technologies – whether in a vehicle, drone, or industrial applications – overwhelmingly require rare earth metals to generate high efficiencies and power densities as they work to convert electrical energy into mechanical motion. These rare earth materials are principally sourced in China and are also expensive – representing roughly half the cost of an EV motor, despite being a fraction of the total materials used in their design. The environmental impact of rare earths is also far from sustainable with the mining and processing of just one ton of neodymium creating over 2,000 tons of toxic waste.
By contrast, Tau’s Gamma machine eliminates the use of these critical materials, delivering high efficiency across a wide operating range where each operating point is optimized rather than constrained by fixed hardware tradeoffs. This creates a performance envelope that exceeds typical permanent magnet machines in torque and power. The technology offers:
● High efficiency across a tunable operating range
● Superior torque and power versus conventional permanent-magnet machines
● Lower system costs by removing rare-earth dependencies
● Increased power density without additional packaging requirements
● Reduced CO₂ footprint and environmental impact
● Fewer failure modes and enhanced reliability with diagnostic capability
● On-demand boost capability for dynamic performance
● Greater supply chain resiliency and independence from critical materials
“The Gamma platform is engineered for both performance and scale, setting a new benchmark for electric motors,” said Wesley Pennington, Founder and CEO of Tau. “As the world seeks alternatives to critical material dependencies, this product is central to Tau’s expanding vision of electrifying everything on our software-defined power conversion platform to deliver more sustainable, efficient, and resilient technology for the future.”
The announcement at Climate Week follows extensive third party validation of both the Gamma concept and commercial development initiatives. The technology was presented by Pennington in a keynote at Columbia University’s Center of Advanced Electrification (CCAE) Climate Week Symposium. The event brought together leaders across industry and academia to explore the forefront of electrification and energy systems. Alongside Pennington, Dr. Matthias Preindl, Associate Professor at Columbia University, presented a comprehensive analysis of the Gamma system out of MPlab and the CCAE confirming the machine’s physics, performance, and technical capability.
Tau is working with a number of commercial partners in sectors from automotive to industrial and beyond to accelerate their electrification efforts and deliver the Gamma system to market.
More information on the product will be unveiled in early 2026. To stay informed visit: www.taumotors.com.
About Tau
Tau Motors, Inc. is an advanced technology company redefining the future of electrification. From electric vehicles to the grid and beyond, Tau enables next-generation products – today. Tau has pioneered technologies that leverage the company’s software-defined hardware platform to provide industry leading scale, economics, and performance. By combining deep expertise in power conversion, systems engineering, and advanced control, Tau is accelerating flexible, secure, and sustainable energy systems across industries. As a technology company, Tau partners with industry leaders to develop and deploy transformative solutions on the company’s platform. At its core, Tau is made of exceptionally talented people – and we are growing. Come join our mission. For more information, visit taumotors.com.
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