Rare-earth-free electric motor technology development

Efforts to develop electric motor technology that reduces or eliminates reliance on rare-earth materials have seen recent developments in the United Kingdom.

Advanced Electric Machines (AEM), a Newcastle University spin-out, secured £16 million in funding to develop motors for heavy commercial vehicles, trucks, and construction machinery. This investment aims to improve recyclability and reduce supply-chain risks.

Concurrently, YASA, a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group, launched ‘Project Resilience’ to develop axial flux electric motors. Supported by the UK government’s DRIVE35 program, the initiative explores two pathways: creating permanent-magnet motors that avoid heavy rare-earth elements and developing motors entirely free of such materials to address price volatility and environmental impacts.

Based in Oxford, YASA’s project utilizes a shared stator platform to pursue these distinct technical paths. The first path targets high-performance electric and hybrid vehicles, aiming to create permanent magnet motors that do not require heavy rare earths like dysprosium while maintaining high power density through direct oil cooling. The second path targets the mass market by developing motors that are entirely free of rare earth materials in the rotor, prioritizing cost-effective and predictable production. While YASA’s axial flux technology is already utilized in high-performance models like the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupé, these developments seek to ensure long-term material independence for both luxury and volume automotive segments, specifically addressing vulnerabilities caused by the concentration of raw material processing in China.