The engines of electric cars are made with rare materials which pose more and more geopolitical problems. Automakers are looking to develop new engines without these materials.
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In electric motors, there are magnets made with materials that come more than 90% from China: the famous rare earths. Manufacturers are therefore dependent on Beijing and its control over exports and prices. However, between tensions with Taiwan and the rapprochement with Vladimir Putin, automobile manufacturers are seeking to regain a certain independence.
Equipment manufacturers present several guaranteed engines in September 2023 “without any rare earth”. Manufacturers replaced the mineral magnet that came from China with an electromagnet, a kind of coil of electric wire, which can be manufactured anywhere. Proof that geopolitical constraints can be an excellent accelerator of innovation.
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More efficient and cheaper
These are not the first electric motors without magnets. The first was designed in the 1880s by a certain Nicolas Tesla (hence the name of the famous electric cars). But these engines took up a lot of space, they heated up too much and above all, they were less efficient. This is the reason why more than 90% of electric cars use magnets, and therefore rare earths, to manufacture motors that have until now been more efficient.
This will not be the case for the new magnetless motors developed by Mahle, ZF or Valeo. The manufacturers claim to have resolved these problems. Tests are underway and we will have to wait for the release of the first models to get a clear idea of the range and performance of these new engines. But, a priori, they would be more efficient and less expensive than current engines. The first models should be available in 2025.
This is not the end of rare earths
The motors aren’t the only problem. Batteries are also made from rare materials, such as cobalt, for which no substitute has been discovered. Salvation may come from recycling; it is possible to draw on the tons of batteries that are accumulating, rather than extracting cobalt from mines in often disastrous working and environmental conditions. And this time, it is ecology that could boost innovation.