Modal Motors Aims to Eliminate Rare-Earth Magnets to Bypass Chinese Supply Chains
Startup founder Michael Van Steenburg is developing alternative electric motor architectures for drones and robotics that bypass critical mineral dependencies.
Modal Motors, a hardware startup developing electric motors designed to operate without rare-earth magnets, is working to bypass Chinese supply chains entirely, according to reporting by TechCrunch Startups (https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/23/modal-motors-is-trying-to-cut-china-out-of-electric-motors-entirely/).
Founded by Michael Van Steenburg, who has spent the past decade building electric motors across North America, the startup is designing hardware architectures intended for drones, robotics, and industrial hardware.
Van Steenburg argues that many existing domestic reshoring initiatives replicate standard Chinese motor designs while remaining dependent on foreign rare-earth supply chains. Because a fully domestic supply of rare-earth magnets remains years away, he contends that simply assembling foreign designs domestically does not resolve strategic vulnerabilities.
The effort comes amid persistent trade risks surrounding critical materials. China has restricted access to rare-earth exports after spending 25 years securing international mineral rights and consolidating its control over the global magnet supply chain.
Modal Motors is developing two motor designs ahead of public demonstration. Its first product is a small electric motor intended for drones, fans, blowers, and actuators, engineered to minimize mass while maximizing torque density and efficiency.
The startup's second design, called the Hybrid Enigma Drive, utilizes a planar—or flat—electric motor configuration that allows the drive to fit into low-profile spaces.
Van Steenburg is applying decades of automotive engineering experience to develop the motors. In the late 1990s, he worked on a hybrid gas-electric drivetrain intended for China's "People's Car" project, an experience that gave him early exposure to international industrial strategy.
Modal Motors is scheduled to showcase its motor technology at TechCrunch Disrupt, where the company will participate in the Startup Battlefield 200 competition.
Sources
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