Nidec Drive Technology announced that the omnidirectional drive unit that it has developed jointly with Honda Motor has been adopted for use in Honda’s hands-free personal mobility device, UNI-ONE. A mobility robot created to realize a borderless society, UNI-ONE is a next-generation “mobility device to ride at your destination” that... Read more →

With its AI-based TempAI solution, ZF is integrating a new method that takes temperature management in electric drives to a new level. By using a self-learning temperature model, TempAI improves forecast accuracy by over 15%, enabling significantly more precise thermal utilization of the electric machine. This accurate data allows significantly... Read more →

Critical Metals has received a Letter of Interest from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), for a total non-dilutive funding package of $120 million. This funding package from the US’ official export credit agency is expected to be used to develop the Tanbreez Project, one of the world’s... Read more →

Cyclic Materials, an advanced recycling company building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements (REEs), announced a US$25-million investment to launch North America’s first Center of Excellence for rare earth recycling in Kingston, Ontario, which will result in 45 new skilled jobs in the region. Spanning more than 140,000... Read more →

Cyclic Materials and Lime, the world's largest provider of shared micromobility electric vehicles, are partnering to recycle magnets from retired electric motors powering e-bikes and e-scooters across Canada and the United States. The agreement marks the first at-scale recycling initiative focused on rare earth magnets in North America in the... Read more →

Many of the industrial motors used today are induction motors. However, permanent magnet motors are generally more efficient than induction motors and can be more cost-effective in the long run, especially for factories and plants that run constantly. Currently, most permanent magnet motors rely on critical materials, specifically rare-earth based... Read more →

For several decades, Magna has been a strategic partner to Mercedes-Benz. This collaboration has spanned multiple areas of the vehicle, including powertrain and drivetrain systems, ADAS technologies, body and chassis components, electrification, interior systems, vehicle assembly, and more. This long-term partnership includes the production of more than 500,000 iconic G-class... Read more →

Tula Technology, a leader in propulsion efficiency and developer of Dynamic Motor Drive (DMD), will present the latest results of DMD, in conjunction with BorgWarner, applied to a premium range extended electric vehicle (REEV) at the 13th China International Automobile Propulsion Systems (IAPS) Summit on 4-5 March. DMD is a... Read more →

At its Tech Days event in Landshut, BMW provided some initial insights into the development and production of high-voltage batteries and electric drive systems using the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology. Every fully electric Neue Klasse vehicle will enjoy the benefits. The first Neue Klasse model will go into... Read more →

Yamaha kicks off 2025 with new product offerings including an expansion of its HARMO line, available in single and twin configurations. With a 9.9 horsepower gasoline-powered equivalent rating, Yamaha’s new HARMO Electric Outboard is offered in 20-inch and 25-inch shaft lengths. The multi-functional, intelligent design of Yamaha’s newest HARMO Electric... Read more →

Elaphe, a developer of in-wheel motor (IWM) technology and wheel control, unveiled its high-performance front-wheel in-wheel motor, Sonic.1, at CES 2025. Sonic.1 offers performance upgrades for electric and hybrid vehicles, unrivaled power density, advanced control capabilities and direct compatibility with high-performance brakes and existing supercar architectures. The Sonic.1 direct-drive motor... Read more →

At CES 2025, technology company Donut Lab presenteed a new generation electric motor family that offers unprecedented performance, cost efficiency, and that eliminates the need for power transmission. Donut Lab is known for its modular technology platform, which provides EV manufacturers with a library of interoperable components. One of the... Read more →

BMW i Ventures invested in Phoenix Tailings, a metals production company dedicated to creating a zero-waste, zero-emission future. The Series B financing, which was led by Envisioning Partners and included additional participation from Yamaha Motor Ventures and Escape Velocity, will enable Phoenix Tailings to scale its rare earth processing operations... Read more →

Worthington Steel has reached an agreement to acquire, through its subsidiary Tempel Steel Company, a controlling equity stake in Italy-based Sitem S.p.A. (together with its subsidiaries, Stanzwerk AG, Decoup S.A.S. and Sitem Slovakia spol. s r.o., Sitem Group). Sitem Group produces electric motor laminations and accessory products for automotive and... Read more →

Wright has finished final assembly of its second-generation megawatt-class motor, WM2500, built with support from DOE ARPA-E and NASA. WM2500 is a 2.5 MW (3,300+ horsepower) electric aircraft engine targeted for industry-leading power and power density. It is designed to replace the engine core of a jet engine, enabling current... Read more →

Yamaha Motor Europe unveiled the latest version of its pioneering HARMO electric outboard, now featuring a series of upgrades designed to deliver a more versatile, more intuitive boating experience. The revolutionary integrated electric propulsion and steering control system, now offers enhanced capabilities and refined control features that build on the... Read more →

Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH has partnered with MIKROE to integrate its robust TB9083FTG gate-driver IC into the Brushless 30 Click, a compact add-on board for precise and reliable control of brushless DC (BLDC) motors in automotive applications. Toshiba’s TB9083FTG has been designed in accordance with ISO 26262 (2nd edition) and... Read more →

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is offering a patented sealing geometry for in-wheel motors (IWM) to support original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and manufacturers of electric motors ranging from electric cars to commercial vehicles right at the development stage. In-wheel motors for electric vehicles offer numerous benefits. Components such as transmissions, brakes, and... Read more →

Bosch Engineering is unveiling a newly developed, high-performance electrification solution for electrical systems with voltages of up to 800 volts, which further extends the potential use cases of electric drives in maritime applications while also raising system efficiency. With the latest generation of our electric motor and inverter with silicon... Read more →

thyssenkrupp sold the Indian company thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel India Private Ltd. to JSW Steel Limited and JFE Steel Corporation. The Indian-Japanese consortium is acquiring the Indian electrical steel business of thyssenkrupp for a purchase price of around €440 million. thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel India is part of the Electrical Steel business... Read more →

Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus, and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, Toshiba Group’s energy arm, will cooperate on superconducting technologies for future hydrogen-powered aircraft. The partners aim to co-develop a two-megawatt superconducting motor. In the quest to decarbonize the aviation industry, hydrogen-powered aircraft represent a possible solution... Read more →

Based on the successful joint development with a European OEM on the magnet-free electric motor technology (EESM – Externally Excited Synchronous Motor) (earlier post), Valeo is now extending its portfolio of magnet-free electric motors towards upper segment vehicles together with MAHLE. Valeo and MAHLE have joined forces to develop an... Read more →

Tula Technology, Inc., a leader in propulsion efficiency, along with a leading global automotive supplier, has developed a Dynamic Motor Drive (DMD) demonstration vehicle for the Chinese market based on a domestic premium full-size SUV. DMD is a high-value, software-only technology that addresses key challenges facing the EV transition: range,... Read more →

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 →