Robert Sansone’s synchronous reluctance motor takes top prize at the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

What were your major accomplishments at 17? Getting accepted into your dream college? Securing your first job? In Robert Sansone’s case, he could be on the verge of revolutionizing a new way to power electric vehicles (EV). The 17-year-old from Fort Pierce, Florida, recently claimed the George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award at the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair for his novel synchronous reluctance motor design.

Sansone has always been a tinkerer. Despite his youth, the prolific inventor already has animatronic hands, high-speed running boots, and high-powered go-karts to his name. When Sansone stumbled upon a video illustrating the rare metals required to produce modern EV motors, he set out to find a more environmentally- and financially-friendly approach.

As opposed to the permanent magnet motors commonly used today, Sansone turned to a synchronous reluctance motor design, which is often found in fans and pumps. However, these motors don’t generate enough torque to power an electric vehicle. At least, not yet.

Permanent magnet motors leverage the attraction between a spinning electromagnetic field and magnets attached to a rotor to drive the motor. A synchronous reluctance motor does away with the magnets. The design typically features a steel rotor with several slots cut into the disc. As the rotor rotates, the difference in magnetism, or saliency ratio, between the steel and air-filled gaps helps produce torque.