Toyota and at least two of its suppliers are forging ahead on technology that would reduce the use of rare earth magnets in automotive engines destined for electric and hybrid cars.
Given trade uncertainties with China and rising rare earths costs, companies that make high-tech products are developing alternatives to REE in order to not be at the mercy of future supply disruptions.
After a diplomatic dust-up late last year between China and Japan–which resulted in a temporary two-month de facto ban of Chinese rare earth exports to Japanese manufacturers–several Japanese companies are now developing motors without rare earths components for use in the global automotive industry.
Rare earth minerals are found in magnets that power electric cars and hybrids such as Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt.
Toyota and Tesla are in the advanced stages of creating a hybrid induction motor that doesn’t use rare earths. Toyota also announced plans to completely phase out rare earth metals from its electric and hybrid vehicles.
The upcoming RAV4 EV Toyota will use an inductive motor supplied by Tesla. If successful, the innovation may also help Toyota reduce its dependence on rare earth metals in its Prius line.
Toyota is also planning to develop a new magnesium-sulfur battery to replace the current standard of lithium-ion batteries, and is aiming to replace lithium within 10 years.
Tesla has produced rare-earths-free technology in its all-electric Roadster spots car and its 2012 Model S sedan.
Aisin Seki Co., Japan’s largest transmissions manufacturer and also a Toyota Motor Corp. supplier, is now also developing motors for electric and hybrid cars that don’t use rare earths. Aisin’s research is being conducted jointly with its research until IMRA Europe in Brighton, England.
Although Aisin is 22% owned by Toyota, it also sells to Volkswagen AG and Suzuki Motor Corp.
Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization and Hokkaido University have jointly developed a motor that uses ferrite instead of rare earths. In an interview with Bloomberg earlier this month, Professor Satoshi Ogasawara of Hokkaido said, “Carmakers may be able to sell cars with ferrite motors in as little or two or three years, given where we are in the development process.”
Nevertheless, Toyota is hedging its bets with its plans to establish a rare earth extraction plant project in the Ganjam district of India. The joint venture between Toyota Tsusho and the Indian Rare Earths Limited, a state-owned company, is aimed at extracting rare earth elements essential for the production of rare earth magnets.
Ironically, the largest new market for Toyota and Aisin just happens to be China. However, taking rare-earths out of the automotive manufacturing equation could also prove attractive to manufacturing cars for the Chinese market, automotive analysts have suggested.
Realpolitik.tv
