If you want to understand the future of industrial decarbonization, look at the motors behind every pump, fan, and conveyor. According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Energy Efficiency 2025 report, motor systems today account for around 60% of global industrial electricity demand and roughly one quarter of all electricity use worldwide.
Behind the numbers is a simple story: industry depends on motors, and the planet now depends on how efficiently they run. Yet more than half of all industrial motors in operation are estimated to be over ten years old, and almost a quarter are more than twenty years old. These ageing assets often run continuously, kept in service on a “if isn’t broken, don’t fix it” basis – even though their inefficiency quietly drains energy and productivity with every hour they run.
In a world racing to cut emissions and boost productivity, this is one of the biggest opportunities hiding in plain sight. Upgrading the motors that already power our world is a fast, tangible way for manufacturers to use less energy today, tomorrow, and for years to come.
The potential impact is enormous. If the more than 300 million industrial motor‑driven systems operating today were upgraded to high‑efficiency versions, global electricity use could be cut by up to 10%. The tools to unlock those savings already exist, and synchronous reluctance (SynRM) motors are one of the clearest examples of how industry can act now, without hesitation.
Cutting inefficiency and risk with SynRM technology
ABB first introduced SynRM motors in 2011 as a way to combine high efficiency with simplicity and robustness. Instead of relying on magnets or complex rotor constructions, SynRM strips the design back to essentials. It delivers the performance of an advanced motor without rare earth materials and with far less wasted energy inside the motor itself.
In a SynRM motor, winding temperatures can be up to 30°C lower and bearing temperatures up to 15°C lower than in a comparable induction motor. Less heat means less risk of failure, which means less unplanned downtime – so operators avoid the disruption and costs that inevitably come when critical equipment fails. And because there are no magnets, SynRM means operators can avoid the price volatility and supply‑chain risk of rare earth metals. That makes it a more predictable long‑term choice, helping manufacturers stabilize costs and reduce their dependence on global supply chains.
The IE6 SynRM range takes this technology to the next logical step. It brings performance into the mainstream by offering IE6 Hyper-Efficiency as a standard option for key applications such as pumps, fans and compressors. Motors of this class are no longer reserved for special projects or bespoke engineering; they follow traditional power and frame‑size combinations, so most of the time they can simply replace older motors without requiring a redesign of the surrounding equipment.
The savings hiding in every kilowatt
Over a typical 20‑year lifetime, around 97% of a motor’s total cost of ownership is the electricity it uses. The purchase cost accounts for only about 2%, and maintenance about 1%. When energy dominates the cost of ownership to this extent, maximizing efficiency is the only rational strategy.
The step from high efficiency to hyper‑efficiency may sound incremental, but in continuous‑duty applications, the effect quickly stacks up. In a 110 kW motor application running 8,760 hours a year at around 75% load, upgrading an existing IE4 SynRM motor and drive package to ABB’s IE6 SynRM package delivers a major long-term gain. Over a typical 20-year service life, annual savings add up to roughly €51,200 and 92,200 kg of CO₂ – the equivalent of taking 21.5 gasoline‑powered cars off the road for a year. And for operators already thinking of upgrading from IE4 to IE5, going one step further to IE6 can unlock up to 76% greater energy and emissions savings than an IE5 solution. Plus, the additional investment required for an IE6 package over an IE4 one can be recovered in around eight months.
IE6 efficiency is proof that savings are within reach – in lower energy use, faster ROI and deeper emissions cuts – especially when these gains are multiplied across dozens or hundreds of motors. And by cutting running costs and reducing exposure to energy price volatility, SynRM technology helps manufacturers sharpen their competitiveness in markets where both margins and carbon performance are under pressure.
Efficiency as a management discipline
The IEA’s analysis of more than 300 energy management case studies around the world found that sites with structured energy management systems achieved average energy savings of 11% in the first years alone, with many reaching 30% or more over time. These improvements are rarely thanks to a single technology. Instead, they come from treating energy efficiency as a management discipline – starting with smarter equipment choices.
Hyper‑efficient motors like ABB’s IE6 SynRM motors do not require radical process changes or unproven technologies. They can be integrated into existing systems and start reducing usage immediately. They make it easier for energy managers to hit decarbonization targets, stay ahead of tightening regulations, and show concrete progress to stakeholders.
The sustainability benefits start even before the motor is switched on. IE6 SynRM motors are part of ABB’s EcoSolutions portfolio, which includes third‑party‑verified Environmental Product Declarations to support transparent lifecycle assessments and ESG reporting. ABB is also using low‑carbon and recycled copper in motor production, reducing embedded emissions by up to 200 kg of CO₂ per 75 kW motor.
As a result, true high efficiency is no longer confined to a few flagship projects, but can now be applied as standard across entire motor fleets.
Making hyper‑efficiency the new normal
Industrial companies today must do more with every unit of energy they use, and simply keeping equipment running is no longer enough. It has to run leaner and cleaner than ever before.
With IE6 SynRM motors, upgrading outdated fleets becomes one of the simplest ways to navigate rising energy costs and carbon constraints – and to turn energy efficiency into a guiding principle that defines the next generation of industry.
At ABB, we call this “Engineered to Outrun”: the belief that there is always another step to take in efficiency and sustainability. By making hyper‑efficiency available as a standard solution across a range of industrial applications, ABB is allowing manufacturers to treat motor upgrades as a central pillar of their decarbonization strategies. And in doing so, industry can align growth with sustainability, instead of trading one for the other.
To find out more, please visit: IE5 and IE6 Synchronous reluctance safe area motors
