Freedom Motors

What Freedom Motors does

Freedom Motors, Inc. is a Dixon, California-based manufacturer of Rotapower® rotary (Wankel-style) engines, founded in 1997 as a spin-off of Moller International to commercialize rotary engine technology originally developed by Outboard Marine Corporation (which spent approximately $250 million developing the platform). The company produces a scalable engine family spanning 27cc to 650cc per rotor, configurable in single and multi-rotor arrangements delivering 2.5 HP to over 400 HP, including advanced 5-stroke and 6-stroke compound variants. Proprietary technology includes a charge-cooled rotor design, chromium carbide and aluminum oxide plasma spray coatings (developed with NASA SBIR funding), and patent-pending intake porting and rotor interface technology; the engine architecture carries only two moving parts, achieves a 3:1 power-to-weight ratio, 20,000+ hour run-life, and tolerates multiple fuels including contaminated biogas, hydrogen, CNG, methanol and ethanol.

The company's products target five primary verticals: biogas combined heat and power (CHP) generation where it processes untreated biogas without H2S/siloxane filtration; portable generators and microgrid power; electric vehicle range extenders and two/three-wheeled vehicles (notably for Asian OEMs); marine propulsion; and advanced air mobility (AAM) VTOL aircraft. Revenue mechanics combine direct engine sales (with a target ASP of ~$2,300 for the 530cc unit), licensing and regional manufacturing partnerships (active or in-process in Singapore for ASEAN, India, and China), and capital raised via the EB-5 investor immigration program. The largest disclosed commercial commitment is a firm contract with OneH2 for 26,200 hydrogen-powered genset engines destined for Amazon warehouses, against a broader pipeline of firm orders, conditional orders and letters of intent exceeding 3.5 million engines. In January 2026 the company formed RotaPower LLC, a Delaware wholly-owned subsidiary, to scale mass manufacturing — third-party valued at $130 million by SVG Group with a $120 million Stout Risius Ross purchase price allocation.

The go-to-market blends enterprise field sales for industrial/marine/EV applications, channel partnerships for licensed regional production, and event-driven capital raising through EB-5 agents across Asia. The company remains privately held with approximately 7.1 million shares distributed across roughly 550 shareholders, has raised only modest disclosed capital to date (~$107K via StartEngine crowdfunding in 2019), and discloses no current revenue, positioning it as a pre-revenue industrial hardware company at the manufacturing-scale-up stage with material execution and capital-raise dependencies.

Name

Freedom Motors

Legal name

Freedom Motors, Inc.

Website

https://freedom-motors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Freedom Motors manufactures Rotapower® rotary (Wankel) engines — scalable from 27cc to 650cc per rotor and configurable up to 400+ HP — serving biogas CHP, EV range extension, marine, industrial generator, and VTOL aircraft customers via direct sales, Asian licensed manufacturing, and EB-5-funded scale-up.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dixon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Rotapower Engine Sales: Direct sales of Rotapower rotary engines to customers for various applications including marine, industrial, EV range extenders, and biogas generation.
2. Licensing and Manufacturing Partnerships: Licensing technology to manufacturing partners for regional production, including licensed manufacturing in Singapore for ASEAN market and partnerships in India.
3. EB-5 Investment Program: Capital raising through EB-5 investor program targeting foreign investors in Asia for manufacturing expansion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Freedom Motors manufactures the Rotapower line of Wankel-style rotary engines in displacements from 27cc to 650cc per rotor, configurable in single to multi-rotor arrangements producing 2.5 HP to over 400 HP. The company also offers integrated systems built around these engines, including Rotapac portable generators, Rotapower Biogas Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems, and microgrid generators for contaminated biogas, EV range extension, marine propulsion, and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) VTOL aircraft applications. Manufacturing scale-up is handled through its wholly-owned Delaware subsidiary RotaPower LLC, with licensed regional production planned for Singapore/ASEAN, India, and China.

Product overview

Freedom Motors produces the Rotapower® engine family, a line of Wankel-style rotary engines based on technology acquired from Outboard Marine Corporation. The product line includes displacement variants from 27cc to 650cc per rotor, configurable in single or multi-rotor configurations (1-9 rotors) providing outputs from 2.5 HP to over 400 HP. Engine generations include standard 4-stroke versions, compound 5-stroke engines using exhaust energy for supercharging, and advanced 6-stroke engines adding stratified charge capability. Key applications include biogas CHP systems (Rotapower Biogas CHP), portable generators (Rotapac®), microgrid power, marine propulsion, aircraft propulsion for VTOL/AAM, electric vehicle range extenders, and industrial equipment. The company also formed subsidiary RotaPower LLC in 2026 for mass manufacturing operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rotapower®: Proprietary rotary engine brand producing compact, high power-to-weight ratio engines for various applications including marine, motor vehicles, industrial, aircraft, and biogas generation.
• Rotapac®

Products and services

• Rotapower 27cc Engine Compact single-rotor 2.5 HP air-cooled rotary engine designed for portable power tools and equipment applications.
• Rotapower 150cc Engine

Quantifiable outcome

• 85%+ emissions reduction compared to four-stroke piston and two-stroke recreational engines
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• RotaPower LLCcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 14 January 2026Delaware LLC subsidiary formed in January 2026 to mass manufacture Rotapower engines and continue R&D. SVG Group valuation at $130 million; Stout Risius Ross PPA at $120 million.
• Aambe CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 December 2024Ron Spoerl, President and CEO, joined as strategic partner and advisor. Brings expertise in Tribal economic development and connections to Native American communities.
• Ally PowermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2021Agreement signed for prototype development and subsequent licensing of Rotapower technology. Development work planned for early Spring 2021.
• Naveen MadishettyminorOthers · 29 July 2019Regional head for India Chamber of Commerce and green policy advisor to World Academy of Arts & Sciences. Supports India operations and sustainability initiatives.
• ALIFE AirmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2019Singapore-based company partnered for manufacturing Rotapower engines for series of 2-wheeled vehicle models. Previously paid FM to convert scooter design to 150cc Rotapower engine.
• Moller InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company that granted exclusive license to Freedom Motors to manufacture Rotapower engines for all applications except aviation and ducted fans. Retained rights to Skycar and aircraft applications.
• OneH2majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHydrogen genset supplier for Amazon forklifts. Firm contract for 26,200 engines. Freedom Motors leased 8,000 sq.ft. manufacturing space to fulfill contract.
• NASAmajorTechnology or IntegrationSBIR funding from NASA's Glenn Research Center for coating technology development. NASA STI recognized innovation for making engines cleaner and more efficient.
• Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC)coreTechnology or IntegrationAcquired entire OMC rotary engine technology, tooling, and relationships with designers. OMC spent $250 million developing rotary technology and produced over 35,000 engines.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mazda: Mazda is the only major modern commercial producer of Wankel/rotary engines (RX-7, RX-8, Mazda2 RE) and serves as the most direct comparable to Freedom Motors in rotary powertrain technology, addressing overlapping performance and emissions claims.
• BRP-Rotax: BRP-Rotax manufactures lightweight rotary and piston aircraft engines widely used in light aircraft, LSAs, and powered parachutes, making it a direct competitor in the aviation propulsion segment Freedom Motors targets with its AAM/VTOL applications.
• Hirth Engines: Hirth is a German specialist in two-stroke and Wankel rotary engines for aircraft, UAVs, and industrial use, directly comparable to Freedom Motors' niche focus on compact, high-power rotary powerplants across aviation and industrial verticals.
• Austro Engine (Diamond Aircraft): Austro Engine produces diesel and Wankel rotary aircraft engines for general aviation and UAV platforms, overlapping with Freedom Motors' rotary aviation powertrain focus and VTOL/UAS target use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Honda Motor (Powersports & Engines): Honda manufactures a broad portfolio of small engines, motorcycles, and powersports products, positioning it as a broad incumbent Freedom Motors competes against in the 2/3-wheeler and small-engine generator categories.
• Yamaha Motor: Yamaha produces motorcycles, marine outboards, and small engines globally, competing with Freedom Motors across scooter, marine, and small-engine generator segments where Rotapower is positioned.
• Cummins: Cummins is a global engine and power generation manufacturer serving industrial, biogas CHP, and microgrid markets, broadly competing with Freedom Motors in stationary power and biogas genset applications.
• Caterpillar: Caterpillar manufactures large diesel and gas engines for industrial power generation and microgrids, providing broad overlapping capability with Freedom Motors' Rotapower microgrid and biogas CHP offerings at larger scale.
• Generac: Generac dominates the North American backup and portable generator market, directly comparable to the Rotapac portable generator line and competing for the same small-format distributed power customers.

Emerging players

• Capstone Green Energy: Capstone manufactures microturbines for distributed generation including biogas and landfill gas applications, serving as an emerging niche competitor to Freedom Motors in low-emission distributed power segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Rotapower
• Facebookfacebook.com/FreedomMotors1
• Instagraminstagram.com/freedommotorsdixon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freedom-motors-ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freedom Motors