ABB Baldor-Reliance® SP4™ motors have been honored with a silver award in the Mechanical category of the 2025 Design World LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program). The LEAP Awards recognize the most innovative and forward-thinking engineered products and components serving the design engineering space across multiple industry categories. The LEAP Awards celebrate innovative engineering achievements through submissions reviewed by an expert independent judging panel. SP4 Motors were selected for their exceptional design and engineering innovation in the industrial automation category.
Advanced efficiency and sustainability
ABB's SP4 technology meets the NEMA Premium® 4 efficiency (IE4) level in a standard AC induction motor design operating across the line, independently of a variable speed drive. SP4 represents ABB's commitment to improving efficiency and performance without requiring customers to make significant investments in additional technology or components. When paired with a variable speed drive, even higher efficiency levels are attainable. The motor design reduces motor losses by an average of 20 percent while maintaining the simplicity, form, fit and function of today's installed base of AC induction motors.
ABB Baldor-Reliance SP4 general purpose motor 
ABB Baldor-Reliance SP4 severe duty motor 
ABB Baldor-Reliance SP4 shaft-grounded HVAC motor 
ABB Baldor-Reliance SP4 close-coupled pump motor
Superior performance benefits
SP4 motors operate cooler than traditional motors, reducing heat-based energy losses and extending the life of bearings and other components. This cooler-running design directly translates to lower electrical energy consumption, which decreases operating costs and reduces total cost of ownership over the motor's operational life. With more than 80 percent of industrial electric motors operating direct on line without using a drive to improve efficiency, SP4 represents a solution for customers seeking to improve energy efficiency across their operations.
Regulatory compliance and future-ready design
SP4 motors exceed current United States Department of Energy efficiency requirements and comply with anticipated Medium Electric Motor regulations set to take effect on June 1, 2027. These regulations mandate that motors up to 100 horsepower maintain NEMA Premium efficiency, while motors between 100 and 250 horsepower must achieve NEMA Premium 4 efficiency. SP4 Motors meet these standards today, providing customers with forward-looking solutions.
About the Design World LEAP Awards
The LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) celebrates the most innovative and forward-thinking products serving the design engineering space. This dynamic competition honors innovative engineered products and components across multiple categories: advanced materials and computer hardware, connectivity, embedded computing, fluid power, industrial automation, mechanical, motion control, power electronics, software, switches and sensors, testing and measurement. More information is available at www.designworldonline.com.
ABB Motion, a global leader in motors and drives, is at the core of accelerating a more productive and sustainable future. We innovate and push the boundaries of technology to contribute to energy efficient, decarbonizing and circular solutions for customers, industries and societies. With our digitally enabled drives, motors and services we support our customers and partners to achieve better performance, safety and reliability. To help the world’s industries outrun – leaner and cleaner, we deliver motor-driven solutions for a wide range of applications in all industrial segments. Building on over 140 years of domain expertise in electric powertrains, our more than 23,000 employees across 100 countries learn and improve every day. go.abb/motion
ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun.’ The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide. ABB’s shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB). www.abb.com
