Global interest grows in rare earth-free motor technology
The push to electrify transport is moving quickly, but the materials used inside today’s electric motors is an issue that’s becoming harder to ignore. Many high-performance motors in passenger and commercial vehicles rely on rare earth elements, which are difficult to source and heavily concentrated in a small number of regions globally. As demand for electric vehicles grows, this is starting to create real pressure on supply chains around the world.
At AEM, we’ve been responding to enquiries from major OEM and Tier 1 businesses internationally, as carmakers turn toward rare-earth free motor technology in a bid to build more stable, secure and sustainable supply chains. As such, our expertise and knowledge have been in high demand from the media. Our CEO, James Widmer, has been speaking to significant magazines and newspapers in the UK, Canada, India and Singapore to share an insight on why there is so much interest in our rare-earth free technology.
This growing attention reflects a wider shift in thinking. Rare earth supply is now seen as a serious risk. With global demand rising and supply concentrated in a small number of countries, manufacturers are starting to rethink whether current motor designs are sustainable for the long term.
What is driving this interest is a simple question: can electric motors be built in a way that avoids rare earths entirely, without losing performance? The answer is yes and for many manufacturers, this is now a key focus. The industry has relied on permanent magnet motors for years because they offer strong efficiency and power benefits – but the performance and reliability standards of rare-earth free technology can now match and exceed these performance benchmarks.
Advanced Electric Machines is one of the companies pioneering the rare-earth free technology shift. We have long been developing electric motor technology designed to offer similar performance to traditional motors, but without relying on permanent magnets made from rare earth materials.
For instance, one of AEM’s drop-in motor solutions delivers torque and power output comparable to that of a conventional mid-size petrol engine, but in a remarkably compact and lightweight package. Designed for straightforward integration into existing vehicle platforms, it offers exceptional efficiency, converting more than 95% of electrical energy into motion.
Operating comfortably within the performance range expected of premium mid-size electric vehicles, it demonstrates how advanced motor technology can combine practicality with high performance.
Instead of relying on magnets made from scarce materials, our motor designs use more widely available metals and alternative engineering methods. The goal is to create motors that can be produced at scale, with more stable costs and fewer supply chain risks.
As governments and manufacturers continue to focus on supply chain security and cost stability, technologies that reduce reliance on rare earth materials are likely to become more important. The growing global interest suggests that this shift is already well underway.
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About AEM
Advanced Electric Machines develops electric motor technologies for global automotive and commercial vehicle manufacturers. The company’s rare earth-free motor architectures address supply chain resilience and sustainability requirements across passenger car and commercial vehicle applications.
Operating from its engineering and manufacturing facility in Northeast England, AEM maintains an intellectual property portfolio of 46 international patents covering motor design and advanced manufacturing processes. The company’s HDRM platform has accumulated over four million kilometres of validated operation in commercial vehicle deployments.
AEM’s technical leadership draws on deep domain expertise in electric machine design, materials science and high-volume manufacturing processes. The company works with OEMs and tier one suppliers to integrate its motor technologies into next-generation electric powertrains, with development programmes targeting volume production in passenger car applications.
Contacts:
Advanced Electric Machines
John Edden, Torque Agency Group jedden@torqueagencygroup.com | +44 (0) 7403 640 213
Euan Antona, Torque Agency Group eantona@torqueagencygroup.com | +44 (0) 7702 334 887