Japan Develops Electric Vehicle Motors Independent of Rare Earth Metals

The research team led by Nobukazu Hoshi, an associate professor at Tokyo University of Science in Japan, announced that it has developed a rare-earth-metal-free electric vehicle motor, which may reduce the cost of electric vehicles. Researchers claim that they have already manufactured such new motors with an output of 50 kW and an efficiency of more than 95%. They call it the "Switched Reluctance Motor," which generates a charge when the power is turned on and off through the coil, which generates a change in reluctance through rotation. This means that there is no need for a permanent magnet.

Japan has been particularly sensitive to the use of rare earth metals for electric and hybrid electric motors because Japan does not have a source of such materials and must import them from other countries, especially China. Therefore, Japanese researchers have been trying hard to find a substitute or method.

At the TECHNOFRONTIER trade show in Tokyo in 2011, the research team demonstrated their new motor, the same size as the Toyota Prius. The team also admitted that the motor is currently not very energy-efficient, there are also obvious noise and vibration, but they believe that further research will lead to more competitive breakthroughs.