If it turns out to be a successful motor, they will either license it or be flooded with competitors with similar designs. The big secret of this new motor is pretty much whether it can be successfully done... kind of like the secret of making an atomic bomb wasn't much of a secret... only a question of who would spend the time to make it work first.
The question remains whether it's practical or not. Did they have to do anything engineering wise that will mean the motor is prone to problems? Does it use normal bearings of some sort, and how hard are they to replace? How much does it cost to manufacture compared to other motor types?
I'm all for improved electric motors, but it takes more than a good idea and a press release.
