Motors power everything: fans, lights and even electrical machinery in the house. Therefore, it is sensible to make them more efficient and powerful.

This is what a California based startup, Turntide technologies Inc., wants to work to do. The company recently revealed that it has raised about $80 million from its investors. The pool of investors also includes a fund led by Bill Gates, Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. and Tony Fadell, co-creator of the iPhone.

There's a reason so many smart people are getting behind this company early: This is a potentially revolutionary technology in producing electricity. Basically, their idea works because they've made a more efficient motor.

Electric motors convert electricity into energy or motion by using electromagnets. These electromagnets generate a magnetic field to turn around a shaft or a rotor. In conventional motors, much of that field is wasted and does not lead to the turning of the shaft or rotor. Turntide has managed to optimize these motors and produce the same energy with only 30% of electricity.

The company is currently focusing on a niche market. For now, it only processes replacements of old electric motors in the ventilation systems of large buildings - but the cost savings from even that reduction in the use of electricity will give a return on investment in merely three years.

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By the end of 2020, Turntide had replaced about 5000 motors. They plan to do 50,000 more by the end of 2021.

Robert Downey Jr. liked this characteristic of the startup, aside from its ability to significantly cut emissions. The actor has long been committed to using his wealth and celebrity to help lead the world to a greener future. He said, “They figured out how to use a 19th-century technology and use software to make it do what it always had the potential to do.”

Even though the technology is aimed at improving electric cars, its development might take some more time to suit the industry. Meanwhile, Turntide is looking for ways to use the application of motors in pumps and compressors.

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