Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have developed a dimethyl ether-driven fractional crystallization process for separating rare earth elements and transition metals. The process has been successfully applied in the treatment of rare earth element-bearing permanent magnet leachates as an atom-efficient, reagent-free separation method. An open-access paper on their work is... Read more →

General Motors will invest $760 million at its Toledo, Ohio propulsion manufacturing operations to prepare the facility for production of drive units that will be used in future Ultium-based battery electric trucks, including the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV and GMC HUMMER EVs. Toledo Propulsion Systems will be GM’s... Read more →

Volvo Trucks unveiled a completely new, fully electric rear axle at the IAA Transport show in Hannover, Germany. The new e-axle integrates the electric motors and the transmission into the rear axle, thereby freeing up space for more batteries. More batteries mean longer range, which creates opportunities for long distance... Read more →

Bosch is starting volume production of a new drive unit consisting of an electric motor and an integrated inverter for light commercial vehicles. The inverter controls the electric motor and provides the connection to the high-voltage battery. Compared to its predecessors, the new unit provides even higher power and torque... Read more →

For the first time since finalizing the acquisition of Meritor last month (earlier post), Cummins will showcase Meritor’s 17Xe ePowertrain assembled with a Cummins battery system during the IAA Transportation tradeshow in Hannover, Germany. The 17Xe is designed for heavy-duty trucks in the 4x2 and 6x2 segment, with capacity to... Read more →

Engineers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia, have built a new high-speed motor which has the potential to increase the range of electric vehicles. The maximum power and speed (100,000 rpm) achieved by this novel motor have successfully exceeded and doubled the existing high-speed record of laminated... Read more →

At the upcoming IAA Transportation trade fair in Hanover, Germany, MAHLE will premiere its new SCT electric motor (Superior Continuous Torque), which provides extremely high continuous power and is therefore especially suited to commercial vehicles. (Earlier post.) In addition, MAHLE is presenting its newest systems solutions for battery electric drives,... Read more →

YASA, a pioneer in ultra-high performance electric drive technology and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, has appointed Jürgen Banken as its new CEO. An experienced business leader, Jürgen Banken succeeds Dr Chris Harris and assumes leadership responsibilities effective from today. YASA’s axial-flux electric motor technology offers the greatest efficiencies and... Read more →

Canada-based rare earths processor Neo Performance Materials (earlier post) will acquire from Hudson Resources an exploration license covering the Sarfartoq Carbonatite Complex in southwest Greenland. The project hosts a mineral deposit that is enriched in neodymium and praseodymium, two essential elements for rare earth permanent magnets used in electric vehicles,... Read more →

The powertrain of the all-new Megane E-TECH Electric was fully developed by the Alliance. Produced in Japan for Nissan and in France for Renault, this powertrain features an innovative new oil cooling system for the wound rotor synchronous motor. Electric motors must have an excellent cooling system in order to... Read more →

Rare-earth metals are indispensable for many technical products, from smartphones, laptops, batteries, electromotors, and wind turbines, to catalysts. A Japanese team has now introduced a molecular “cage” with “caps” that can be used to confine certain rare-earth-metal ions selectively for isolation or recycling. The rare-earth elements include 17 metals: scandium,... Read more →

BMW M GmbH has begun first test drives with a prototype for innovative high-performance electric drive and chassis control systems. The concept testing focuses on a four-wheel drive system comprising four electric motors and an integrated driving dynamics control system. With the completely new drive concept, BMW M GmbH is... Read more →

Based on new business awards and actions announced to date, BorgWarner believes it is already on track to achieve approximately $3.7 billion of electric vehicle revenue by 2025. The company now expects its 2022 electric vehicle revenue to grow to approximately $850 million—more than double what it was in 2021.... Read more →

Drive systems supplier GKN Automotive has reached a major milestone with more than two million electrified vehicles using its eDrive technology on the road globally. Rising demand for electric vehicles has enabled GKN Automotive to increase the range and volume of its products to its existing customers, which make up... Read more →

EAVX, Morgan Olson and REE Automotive began hosting the first live demonstrations and customer evaluations of Proxima Powered by REE, the newly announced fully drive-by-wire walk-in electric step van. The joint events highlight the benefits of the newly-designed EAVX and Morgan Olson body paired with REE’s fully-flat, modular P7 chassis... Read more →

The challenge of meeting Net-Zero Emissions by 2050 “will be short-circuited and remain out of reach” unless significant new copper supply comes online in a timely way, according to a new study by S&P Global that examines the growing mismatch between available copper supply and future demand resulting from the... Read more →

Voith will present two products at IAA Transportation 2022 in September that promote an economical and sustainable mobility shift for heavy-duty trucks and buses: the latest Voith Electrical Drive System (VEDS) and the Plug & Drive H2 storage system. VEDS. Since introducing it in 2019, Voith has continued to develop... Read more →

The automotive supplier MAHLE has developed what it says is the most durable electric motor available: the superior continuous torque (SCT) E-motor. The traction motor can run indefinitely with high performance due to its new cooling concept. The new electric motor is clean, light, and efficient and can be assembled... Read more →

The Renault Group inaugurated the new “ePT-160kW” electric motor production line at its plant in Cléon. Renault Group has invested €620 million since 2018 at the Cléon site to industrialize the group’s motors for 100% electric and hybrid vehicles. A center of expertise in the manufacture of very high performance... Read more →

Evolito, a privately-owned company designing and manufacturing electric motors and controllers for aerospace applications, has acquired the business and assets of aerospace battery solutions company '. Evolito was spun-out last year from YASA; YASA is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz. Evolito supplies high-performance, low-weight axial-flux motors and controllers... Read more →

Through investments in two key joint ventures at Trémery-Metz, Stellantis has deployed a vertical integration strategy designed to increase control of the global electrification value chain. Emotors, a 50/50 joint venture between Stellantis and Nidec Leroy-Somer Holding (a Nidec Group company), will start production this year of its range of... Read more →

From 2025 onwards, the next generation of BMW e-drives will be manufactured in its engine plant in Steyr, Austria—with both production and development on site—with eventual annual production capacity of more than 600,000 units. The BMW Group will be investing around €1 billion in competence development in this area between... Read more →

A new high-volume manufacturing facility will deliver products developed for the collaborative e-MOTIF project (electric MOTor, Inverter, Flywheel). Utilizing the manufacturing capability of Shield Engineering Group, the project will employ EMPEL’s e-Motor and PUNCH Flybrid’s “F-Boost” Flywheel Energy Storage System. The manufacturing facility will enable EMPEL’s electric motor and inverter... Read more →

Turntide Technologies is launching Turntide Electrification, a suite of world-class battery and powertrain components made to decarbonize commercial and industrial transport segments including, off-highway vehicles, autonomous guided vehicles, construction, trucks and buses, marine, and passenger rail. While the electrification of consumer cars and trucks has received a lot of attention... Read more →

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba ESS) has developed a prototype superconducting motor to meet the needs of the mobility sector. This superconducting motor, with a maximum output of 2 MW, can realize lightweight, high-output density and high-speed rotation, and can be made available for large mobility applications. Toshiba... Read more →

At a recent digital event, Geely’s Lynk & Co launched its E-Motive Hybrid technologies. Developed based on the NordThor Intelligent Hybrid platform (earlier post), these new technologies will help Lynk & Co offer better mobility, better performance, better sustainability and better intelligence. Lynk & Co’s current available hybrids have yet... Read more →

Developers of motor control systems are replacing Hall Effect position sensors and older magnetic resolver solutions with inductive alternatives that eliminate expensive magnets and other heavy transformer-based structures so they can be integrated onto simple, compact printed circuit boards (PCBs). Extending the world’s broadest line of inductive position sensors into... Read more →

At the EVS Symposium in Oslo, Vitesco Technologies is presenting an externally excited synchronous electric machine (EESM) which does not require the use of rare earth metals and which is specifically designed for high ranges, faster driving on highways, and thus for future long-distance electric vehicles. Permanently excited synchronous machines... Read more →

Schaeffler is introducing 4in1 electric axle drives. Until now, up to three drive components were assembled in one compact unit. With the 4in1 electric axle, Schaeffler is now going one step further by integrating the thermal management system as well as the electric motor, power electronics, and transmission into the... Read more →

SAKOR Technologies recently provided Nexteer Automotive with a dynamometer test system designed to test high-speed motors and inverters in hybrid and electric vehicle designs. Nexteer, a multibillion-dollar global steering and driveline business, will use the dynamometer system to test its new line of complete electric vehicle propulsion systems. The system... Read more →

Nidec Corporation will build a flagship factory to produce its E-Axle traction motor system in the city of Pinghu, Zhejiang Province in China. The new factory to be built will be Nidec’s fifth traction motor-related production site, and the fourth E-Axle assembly plant, in China. Construction is planned to start... Read more →

Infinitum Electric, creator of the air-core motor (earlier post), announced $80 million in Series D funding to scale motor production to meet increasing demand. Infinitum Electric will use the investment to integrate vertically and automate production of its motors for the commercial and industrial market segments, and complete development and... Read more →

Vitesco Technologies has landed a €2-billion contract to supply its new generation axle drive EMR4 (Electronics Motor Reducer) to Hyundai Motor Group. The order was already mentioned in March at Vitesco Technologies’ annual press conference without naming the customer. The highly integrated 400 V/160 kW 3-in-1 unit will be used... Read more →

Global automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler has signed a five-year contract with Norwegian company REEtec AS for the purchase of rare earth oxides. The aim is to make electric motors for hybrid modules, hybrid transmissions and all-electric axle drives even more sustainable. Permanent magnets manufactured using rare earth metals such... Read more →

POSCO has broken ground for another electrical steel plant. South Korea’s top steelmaker will spend 1 trillion won (US$805 million) in building the plant in the southwestern port of Gwangyang, which will have an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons of non-oriented electrical steel. Electrical steels (earlier post) are special... Read more →

LG Magna e-Powertrain, a joint venture (JV) between LG Electronics (LG) and Magna International Inc. (Magna), celebrated the groundbreaking of its new plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. Scheduled for completion in 2023, the new facility will produce inverters, motors, and on-board chargers to support General Motors’ electric vehicle (EV) production.... Read more →

In its new Rare Earth Magnet Market Outlook to 2035 report, Adamas Intelligence forecasts that global demand for NdFeB magnets will increase at a CAGR of 8.6%, bolstered by double-digit growth from electric vehicle and wind power sectors. This will translate to comparable demand growth for the rare earths elements... Read more →

BluE Nexus Corporation, AISIN CORPORATION, and DENSO Corporation jointly developed an eAxle for Toyota’s new battery-electric bZ4X. (Earlier post.) BluE’s first eAxle has achieved excellent dynamic performance and downsizing and helps vehicles increase their electric mileage. BluE was established in April 2019 to develop and sell electric systems and driving... Read more →

WMG at the University of Warwick (UK) has provided knowledge and expertise in developing a UK-focused, cost-effective production and supply chain for RIFT (Reduced Induction Field Torque) Technology’s development of RIFT-10—a design for electric motors drives that reduces copper and magnet weight reduction by around 50% and lowers cost by... Read more →

Protean Electric, a leader of in-wheel motor (IWM) technology for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and future transport solutions, announced a new partnership between Dongfeng Motor Corporation Technical Center and Protean’s joint venture in China, Wuxi Weifu Electric Drive Technology (WFDT). The DFM Technical Center and WFDT partnership that will... Read more →

ArcelorMittal will invest more than €300m, with the support of the French government, to create a new production unit for electrical steels at its Mardyck site in the north of France. This investment will create more than 100 direct jobs. With this new unit, which will specialize in the production... Read more →

Researchers from Ames Laboratory and Texas A&M University have trained a machine-learning (ML) model to assess the stability of new rare-earth compounds. The framework they developed builds on current state-of-the-art methods for experimenting with compounds and understanding chemical instabilities. A paper on their work is published in Acta Materialia. Machine... Read more →

The European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) will support Canadian mineral exploration and development company Mkango Resources Ltd.with securing financing for the development of a rare earth separation plant to be located in Puławy, Poland. This plant will be supplied with rare earth carbonate originating from Mkango’s Songwe Hill primary deposit... Read more →

Hino Trucks has completed the vehicle integration, and commenced testing and validation of Allison Transmission’s next-generation eGen Power 100D fully electric axle in its XL series heavy duty battery electric vehicles (BEVs), as Hino progresses towards start of production. The fully integrated eGen Power 100D features two electric motors, each... Read more →

A team of researchers from the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), a US Department of Energy Innovation Hub led by the Ames Laboratory, developed a novel way to extract rare earth elements from the high-powered magnets in electronic waste (earlier post). Recently, TdVib LLC, a company based out of Boone, Iowa,... Read more →

MP Materials Corp. has been awarded a $35-million contract through the US Department of Defense (DoD) Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program to support the construction of a commercial scale processing facility for heavy rare earth elements (HREE) at Mountain Pass. MP Materials owns and operates Mountain Pass, the only... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $175 million for 68 research and development projects aimed at developing novel advanced energy technologies. Led by DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the OPEN 2021 program prioritizes funding high-impact, high-risk technologies that support novel approaches. The selected projects—spanning 22 states and... Read more →

Renault Group, Valeo and Valeo Siemens eAutomotive have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a strategic partnership for the design, co-development and manufacture in France of a new-generation automotive electric motor, eliminating the use of rare earths. The three partners will combine their know-how and recognized expertise to design... Read more →

Danfoss’ Editron division has successfully begun the mass production of its EM-PMI240-T180 motor at its Nanjing factory. A key product of Danfoss’ Editron division, the EM-PMI240-T180 motor is one of the most efficient on the market (96% nominal efficiency). It is specifically designed for electric or hybrid drivetrains in mobile... Read more →

Koenigsegg is continuing its in-house technology development and advanced electromobility component offerings. It started with David, the recently introduced 6-phase inverter, followed by the company’s newest innovation, the Quark electric motor that utilizes a novel torque/power-rich balance between radial (power-dense) and axial (torque-dense) flux topology dubbed Raxial Flux. Koenigsegg has... Read more →