Volkswagen presented the ID.3 GTX FIRE+ICE at the ID. Meeting in Locarno, Switzerland. Developed in collaboration with BOGNER, the Munich-based luxury sports fashion brand, the car is reminiscent of the legendary Golf Fire and Ice, which became a surprise success in the 1990s and has since achieved cult status among... Read more →

With total magnet rare earth oxide consumption forecasted to increase at a CAGR of 5.4% (versus a higher 8.2% for demand) and prices projected to increase at CAGRs of 4.3% to 5.2% over the same period, Adamas Intelligence forecasts that the value of global magnet rare earth oxide consumption will... Read more →

Purifying rare earth critical metals from ores with complex mixtures typically involves strong acids and hazardous solvents, and is primarily conducted in China. However, over the past three years, a team of researchers from Sandia National Laboratories has been developing an environmentally friendly method to separate these rare-earth elements from... Read more →

Cyclic Materials, an advanced metals recycling company building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements and other critical metals, has signed a collaboration agreement for the recycling of electric motors containing rare earths with SYNETIQ, an IAA company and the UK’s leading integrated vehicle salvage and recycling company. The... Read more →

The BMW Startup Garage and the Munich-based company DeepDrive are set to road-test a new electric motor. The concept features dual rotor technology and is expected to enable super-efficient, powerful drives that offer plenty of range. After a successful pilot project with promising results on the test rig, the BMW... Read more →

Infinitum, creator of the sustainable air-core motor (earlier post), has extended its Series E with $35 million in funding from Marunouchi Innovation Partners and Rice Investment Group. The additional funding brings the company’s total Series E funding to $220 million, and will be used to scale the company to meet... Read more →

Aclara Resources signed a Memorandum of Understanding with VACUUMSCHMELZE GmbH & Co. KG (VAC), which establishes a non-binding, non-exclusive, preliminary agreement, to approach potential clients jointly as a “mine-to-magnets” solution for ESG-compliant permanent magnets. Aclara is a development-stage company that is focused on heavy rare earth mineral resources hosted in... Read more →

Nidec will make a minority equity investment of US$20 million in Eve Air Mobility, a manufacturer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and launch partner for Nidec Aerospace’s propulsion system, through Nidec’s subsidiary, Nidec Motor Corporation (NMC). In June 2023, Nidec established Nidec Aerospace LLC, a joint venture... Read more →

Africa is set to become a major new rare earths ore exporter to Chinese and Western processors, with eight pipeline projects due to go into production across the continent by 2029, according to Benchmark’s analysis. Rare earth’s biggest end use are rare earth permanent magnets (REPMs) for wind turbines and... Read more →

Chinese market sentiment in early May overestimated consumer demand for rare earths oxides, resulting in the first price increases for rare earths dysprosium (Dy) and praseodymium neodymium (PrNd) oxide this year, according to the latest assessment by Benchmark. This was the first time rare earths prices had recovered after a... Read more →

MAHLE SmartBike Systems, the eBike company of automotive component supplier MAHLE, has launched its new X30 drive system for eBikes. The new MAHLE X30 system consists of motor, battery, HMI (human machine interface) and other components and extends the X-Series system platform. MAHLE X30 system The highlight is the new... Read more →

Wright Electric reports that it had completed development of the rotor for its second-generation motor, WM2500, as part of the ARPA-E ASCEND program. WM2500 aims to be the world's most powerful (2.5 megawatts) and power-dense (16 kW/kg) electric aircraft engine. High power enables WM2500 to deliver sufficient takeoff thrust for... Read more →

A new $2.6-million project led by the University of Michigan seeks to improve electric motor efficiency, reduce costs and ultimately make the motors without heavy rare-earth elements. The 3-year project is funded by the Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office. The researchers will advance an emerging technique called “laser powder... Read more →

ABB has launch of an innovative new package consisting of AMXE250 motor and HES580 inverter, tailored for electric buses. The motor offers high torque density for improved dynamic performance, as well as a quieter operation for increased passenger comfort. The first 3-level inverter in the market for electric buses, the... Read more →

EVR Motors, an Israel-based electric motor innovator specializing in high power-density electric motors, is starting the operations of a greenfield plant in India under its subsidiary, I.EVR Motors Pvt Ltd. This facility, located in Manesar, will spearhead the production of trapezoidal geometry coils, a patented key component of EVR’s electric... Read more →

SAKOR Technologies, a provider of high-performance dynamometer systems, has provided its Electric Motor Efficiency Testing Dynamometer system to TÜV SÜD for testing and verifying the level of efficiency of electric motors in accordance with a variety of national and international standards, including IEC 60034-2-1; IEEE 112B; Canadian standard C390-93; and... Read more →

Wright Electric, which last week announced a megawatt-class test cell for electric aircraft engines (earlier post), has begun assembling the 2.5 MW WM2500, which it will begin testing this summet. WM2500 is intended to be the world’s most powerful and power-dense megawatt-class electric aircraft engine. Built with the support of... Read more →

Wright Electric, a developer of electric propulsion for large commercial aircraft, has launched its Wright Electric Aircraft Engine Test Cell (WEAETC). The WEAETC is designed to characterize the performance of megawatt-class electric aircraft propulsion systems. Founded in 2016, Wright’s goal is to decarbonize the aerospace industry. Wright works with leading... Read more →

ZeroAvia will be offering some of its key components designed for its hydrogen-electric engines to other clean aviation innovators. The move allows ZeroAvia to build upon the multi-billion dollar per annum market for its hydrogen-electric powertrain family, maximizing the company’s investment in R&D and its strategy of vertical integration. With... Read more →

Wärtsilä introduced a new high-performance thruster and propulsion control solution that offers operators of offshore vessels, ferries and tugs notable improved operational performance and greater efficiency. The package utilizes a combination of Wärtsilä’s WST-E embedded electric steerable thruster and WST-R retractable thrusters, together with an updated remote propulsion control system... Read more →

Toshiba Electronics Europe Gmb launched a motor control driver IC that implements a gate driver and a CPU core together with a comprehensive set of features and capabilities for driving three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motors and permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) more efficiently. With a focus on performance, flexibility and... Read more →

MP Materials has received a $58.5-million award to advance its construction of the US’ first fully-integrated rare earth magnet manufacturing facility. The Section 48C Advanced Energy Project tax credit allocation was issued by the IRS and Treasury following a competitive, oversubscribed process administered by the Department of Energy that evaluated... Read more →

Ionic Rare Earths has begun continuous production of high purity, recycled magnet rare earth oxides (REOs) has commenced at scale on the demonstration plant at Ionic Technologies International Ltd’s Belfast facility in the UK. Ionic Technologies recycles Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets to high purity separated magnet rare earth oxides (REOs),... Read more →

Volume production of ZF’s CeTrax lite electric drive for light commercial vehicles (earlier post) started in April 2023; ZF has now announced that it has already produced its first thousand units. The ramp-up in volume production was steeper than planned because demand from the customer ISUZU increased. The drive is... Read more →

Cyclic Materials, an advanced metals recycling company building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements and other critical metals, is partnering with VACUUMSCHMELZE (VAC), a leading developer of magnetic materials and solutions. The companies have signed an agreement ensuring that by-products containing critical materials used in high-performance permanent magnets... Read more →

Toshiba Electronics Europe has updated and extended its design framework for Brushless DC (BLDC) and Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) drives, adding new features that automatically capture motor parameters and simplify optimizing settings. By easing these challenges when starting a new project, the latest tools accelerate application development and reduce... Read more →

Australia-based Arafura Rare Earths Limited secured conditional Commonwealth Government approval for a debt financing package of US$533 million to progress the Nolans Project in the Northern Territory. Arafura’s Nolans Project is a rare earth ore to oxide mine and processing facility. The Nolans Project will encompass a mine, process plant... Read more →

Solvay and Carester signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a strategic partnership aimed at leveraging the expertise of both companies to pursue manufacturing opportunities within the rare earth industry for the permanent magnets value chain in Europe. The collaboration will enable both companies to enhance their respective strengths... Read more →

American Resources Corporation’s wholly owned subsidiary, ReElement Technologies Corporation,a provider of high-performance refining capacity of rare earth and critical battery elements, announced a partnership with EDP Renewables North America to advance sustainable practices in the wind energy sector through the EDPR NA’s newly launched Close the Loop Program. The focus... Read more →

USA Rare Earth, LLC, a vertically integrated magnet technology company (earlier post), announced that it signed a supply agreement with American Resources Corporation’s ReElement Technologies Corporation (ReElement). Through this agreement, ReElement will supply high-purity rare earth oxides (REOs) to USARE for use at the company’s metal and magnet manufacturing facility... Read more →

Cyclic Materials, an advanced metals recycling company building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements and other critical metals, has expanded its operations to accept two new feedstock streams: wind turbine generators and MRI machines. Through its strong partnership network, Cyclic has already sourced 37 MW capacity of wind... Read more →

Researchers at McGill University have developed a sustainable and cost-effective neodymium (Nd) extraction technology from electronic waste using a carboxylate functionalized nanocellulose (CFNC). An open-access paper on their work is published in the RSC journal Green Chemistry. We demonstrate a solution-processed synthesis of CFNC from a cost-effective, readily available cellulose... Read more →

Australia-based Hastings Technology Metals Limited has entered into a binding term sheet providing for an integrated tolling and offtake arrangement for rare earth concentrate with Baotou Sky Rock Rare Earth New Material Co., Ltd, supporting improved economics for Stage 1 of its 100%-owned Yangibana Rare Earths Project. The Yangibana Project... Read more →

Niron Magnetics, a company developing high-performance, rare earth-free permanent magnets, (earlier post), has received $25 million in new strategic funding in a round led by Samsung Ventures. Allison Ventures, the venture capital arm of Allison Transmission, was also part of this funding round, along with one of the world’s largest... Read more →

Honda Marine, a division of Honda Power Sports & Products and marketer of a complete range of four-stroke marine outboard motors from 2.3 to 350 horsepower, outlined how the company is advancing its mission to expand mobility on the water—capitalizing on the technology of Honda worldwide. A team of Honda... Read more →

Preparations for the production of the next generation of electric motors, the MEBeco (Modularer E-Antriebs-Baukasten, modular electric drive concept), have begun at Audi’s plant in Győr, Hungary. The virtual design of the production lines is underway and the first production equipment for the future production of the transmission components have... Read more →

Proterial, Ltd. (formerly Hitachi Metals) has developed a laminated bonded amorphous alloy ribbon for motor cores. Amorphous alloys—metals that do not have a crystallone structure due to being formed by cooling molten alloy rapidly—are a low-loss material and are considered to be suitable for high-efficiency motors. However, because of their... Read more →

Magna has been awarded a contract to supply a North America-based OEM with a specialized primary rear eDrive system for one of the company’s high-end niche vehicle platforms. The award reinforces Magna’s commitment to supporting the automotive industry’s short and long-term transformational needs. The complex system will be a variant... Read more →

Wright Electric, a developer of electric propulsion systems for regional aircraft (earlier post), successfully tested its motor in the Wright Lab at a simulated atmosphere equivalent to 43,000 feet of altitude without Partial Discharge (PD). Conducted at 1,000 volts, this test sets the stage for simulated altitude testing at the... Read more →

DG Innovate, an advanced research and development company pioneering sustainable and environmentally considerate improvements to electric mobility and energy storage, signed a Joint Development Agreement with a tier-one commercial vehicle components company, jointly to develop systems for heavy goods vehicles applications utilizing DG Innovate’s Pareta drive technology. Developed alongside the... Read more →

POSCO International (earlier post) has received an order for 1.03 million drive motor cores to be mounted on Hyundai-Kia Motors’ electric vehicle (Seltos class) to be produced locally for the first time in Europe from 2025 to 2034. 550,000 units of drive motor core will be supplied to Hyundai Kia... Read more →

Today’s electrical motors are generally made by cutting and moulding pieces from a metal sheet. 3D printing can radically increase efficiency and reduce material consumption. 3D printing larger motor parts has proven difficult, however, as the parts become too brittle and may easily break. Through an EU-funded project together with... Read more →

ZeroAvia has been awarded $3.25 million in funding by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to develop a first-of-a-kind mobile liquid hydrogen (LH2) refueling truck for heavy-duty applications, including aviation and maritime. Funding for the project comes from the Gas R&D Program administered by the CEC and authorized by the California... Read more →

Yamaha Motor recently concluded a stock purchase agreement with Germany’s DEUTZ AG, which owns marine electric propulsion manufacturer Torqeedo, to acquire all of Torqeedo’s shares. The intended acquisition of Torqeedo, which is subject to clearances, permits, etc., required by competition laws and other regulations, further supports Yamaha’s strategy to implement... Read more →

In late 2023, Airbus’ ZEROe teams powered on the iron pod, the future hydrogen-propulsion system designed for Airbus’ electric concept aircraft. As well as the hydrogen fuel cell system, the iron pod contains the electric motors needed to spin a propeller and the units that control and keep them cool.... Read more →

REE Automotive, developer of the REEcorner system (earlier post), has begun customer deliveries of its P7-C electric chassis cab following FMVSS and EPA certification, making it the first to certify a fully x-by-wire vehicle—a fully steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire and drive-by-wire vehicle. (Earlier post.) REEcorner packs critical vehicle components (steering, braking, suspension,... Read more →

At CES 2024, Magna unveiled its next-generation 800V eDrive solution—a drop-in solution that incorporates several advanced technologies, resulting in significant reductions in weight and size, enhanced performance, extended driving range and sustainability. It offers enhanced flexibility due to its lightweight design and 20% reduction in height from Magna’s prior generation... Read more →

In the REASSERT project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA are working alongside industry partners to pursue various concepts for repairing, remanufacturing and reusing electric motors as well as new designs for the circular economy. The REASSERT project aims to develop a prototype electric motor... Read more →

Nidec India held an opening ceremony of the new, second building of its existing factory in Neemrana, Rajasthan, in the Republic of India. While Nidec India’s existing factory produces automotive, appliance, commercial, and industrial motors, the second building will manufacture drive motors for e-bikes with an output of 30kW or... Read more →