Tesla Moving Away From Precious Rare Earth In Future Drive Motors!

Tesla has announced plans to create a permanent magnet electric vehicle motor that does not use any rare earth elements. Rare earth elements are often a challenge in EV supply chains as they are difficult to secure, and most worldwide production is either sourced or processed in China.

However, there are misconceptions surrounding how many rare earth elements are used in electric cars. Lithium-ion batteries typically contain none, but rare earth elements are used in electric car motors.

Typically, Neodymium is the most commonly used rare earth element which is commonly used in powerful magnets for speakers, hard drives, and electric motors. Dysprosium and Terbium are often used as additives in Neodymium magnets. Rare earth elements are not used in every type of electric car motor; Tesla uses them in DC permanent magnet motors but not in its AC induction motors.

Tesla reduced its rare earth usage in new Model 3 drive units by 25% between 2017 and 2022 by increasing the efficiency of the drivetrain. However, the company is now trying to create a permanent magnet motor without using rare earth elements.

During its Investor Day presentation earlier today, Tesla compared its current rare earth usage in the Model Y permanent magnet motor with a potential next-generation motor that would use a permanent magnet but not rare earth elements.

In the slide, Tesla did not specify which elements represent which quantity currently employed, the first number is most likely Neodymium, and the others could be Dysprosium and Terbium. Tesla has not revealed any data as of yet on which material it plans to use in its future motors. 

Source: Electrek