Nidec Corporation (TSE: 6594; OTC US: NJDCY) (the “Company” or “Nidec”) announced today that its driving motor has been adopted for use in WHILL Model F, the foldable personal electric vehicle launched by WHILL Inc. (“WHILL”) on November 01, 2021. For this product, WHILL became the only Japanese company to win “Best of Innovation Award” in “Accessibility” division of CES 2022, the world’s largest technology exhibition, to be held in January 2022.
Founded in 2012, WHILL develops and sells electric wheelchairs and personal mobility products, while engaging in the MaaS (Mobility as a Service) business. The company’s product designs and functionality are highly evaluated in Japan and around the world. WHILL Model F, the foldable mobility product that WHILL launched on November 01, 2021, was developed to solve issues with conventional electric wheelchairs, i.e., size, weight, and price. In addition to being easily foldable, the product is compact and light (26.7kg with its battery), can be kept in a limited space in a condominium, and easily brought onto a train, or into an airplane, etc. for a long-distance travel. Furthermore, for many people to be able to use WHILL Model F, its price has been set to 268,000 yen (tax-free), approximately 50% of how much WHILL Model C2 costs.
Nidec’s driving motor installed in WHILL Model F has the characteristics described below. Utilizing the features of the brushless DC motor, our specialty, the motor boasts a high-level efficiency, torque, dust and water resistance, compactness and light weight, and low-level noise, and is optimized for small-size mobility applications.
1. Highly efficient (85%) – Enables WHILL Model F to travel long distance.
2. High torque (35Nm+) – Enables WHILL Model F to climb a steep road and run on an uneven surface of a road.
3. Highly dust- and waterproof (equivalent to IP54) – Enables WHILL Model F to be used outdoors.
4. Light and compact (2kg or less) – Users can carry WHILL Model F with them in/outdoors.
5. Low-noise (55dB or less) – Users will not become tired even after a long use of WHILL Model F. Comfort lasts long.
As the world’s comprehensive motor manufacturer, Nidec stays committed to developing products with our technologies to make light, thin, short, and small products, improve product efficiency, and control products with high accuracy, and to proposing, at an overwhelming speed, revolutionary solutions that contribute to the evolution of mobility.
For inquiries on driving motors, please contact:
Sales Division, Small Precision Motor & Solutions Business Unit, Nidec Corporation
Tel.: +81-3-3494-0881
For inquiries on WHILL Model F, please contact:
Ms.Natsuki Shimmen, Director of Public Relations, WHILL Inc.
Tel.: +81-70-4456-9991
Email: jp.pr@whill.inc
Webpage for WHILL Model F: https://whill.inc/us/?loc=jp&ref=us
