A team of U.K. engineers wins a £518,000 ($808,460) grant to develop an electric-vehicle motor designed to end auto makers’ dependency on rare-earth metals.
The Technology Strategy Board grant to Sevcon, Cummins Generator Technologies and Newcastle University is to fund the search for an electric motor that will replace rare-earth metals such as neodymium and dysprosium now used in the engines with steel.
Heavy metals in Nissan Leaf engine seen as problematic.
Sevcon is a designer and manufacturer of microprocessor controls for zero-emissions EVs and hybrids.
Cummins Generator Technologies is the largest maker of electrical machines in the U.K. It recently developed a hybrid electric motor for use in medium-heavy-duty commercial vehicles and buses.
Cummins says steel not only costs less and is less damaging to the environment than rare-earth metals, but also is much more widely available. That will be a key factor if the industry is to meet the expected rise in demand for hybrids and EVs.
Newcastle University Center for Advanced Electrical Drives researcher James Widmer says tight supplies of rare-earth metals, coupled with rising demand for the technology, means the pressure is on to find an alternative.
“In addition to this, extracting these rare minerals can be incredibly destructive to the environment,” Widmer says in a statement.
“If we are to pursue electric and hybrid vehicles as a truly greener option, then we need to look not only at the fuel but also at the materials we are using to develop the various components.”
Newcastle University electric-motor research leader Barrie Mecrow says the project presents “a tremendous opportunity for this consortium to make a real impact upon the electric vehicles of the future, combining low cost with highly efficient solutions.
“The consortium provides the ideal mix of leading motor- and drive-manufacturing experience with state-of-the-art research capability.”
The system to be developed by the partners should be ready for volume production within four years.
Rare-earth metals are a range of minerals that have become increasingly important in the delivery of new and sustainable technologies ranging from EVs to solar panels.
However, their success in these applications is raising worldwide concern about the supply and environmental impact of mining these materials.
Cummins says the market for EVs and commercial vehicles is expected to balloon from fewer than 2 million EVs sold in 2010 to an estimated 49 million by 2020. But growth will be curtailed if alternatives to the metals now used to drive the engines are not found.
Sitaram Ganeshan, Cummins general manager-emerging business says increasingly expensive magnets can have a significant impact on the cost of electric machines.
“This award provides an excellent platform to develop a new generation of electric motors to meet the challenges,” Ganeshan says.
About the Author
You May Also Like
