Imagine an electric car motor that doesn't rely on expensive, hard-to-find minerals from other continents. It's like switching from a rare, costly ingredient in a recipe to a common one without losing the taste or quality. This tech makes motors easier to recycle and cheaper to build while keeping them powerful.
Electric vehicle manufacturers rely on expensive, imported rare earth magnets that create supply chain risks and environmental concerns during disposal.
Two electric traction motor prototypes (50-kW and 120-kW) and a digital design tool for assessing life cycle costs and carbon footprints.
If you are a car manufacturer dealing with unstable supply chains for neodymium magnets — this project developed a permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance motor that reduces rare material use while maintaining high power density.
If you are a component supplier dealing with strict EU circularity regulations — this project developed a digital design methodology to assess carbon footprint and recyclability in the early phase of motor production.
If you are a specialized motor builder dealing with high production costs — this project developed 50-kW and 120-kW prototypes that optimize energy efficiency and reduce copper usage.
Based on available project data, the project aims to lower costs by reducing the use of expensive, imported rare earth materials and optimizing copper usage.
The project is currently in the prototype and validation phase, having developed 50-kW and 120-kW motor prototypes for testing against automotive standards.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not listed, but the project involves 7 industry partners including Tier 1 and Tier 2 companies.
The project specifically targets 'integrability' as a key expectation of the automotive sector, using X-in-the-loop (XiL) experimentation to ensure compatibility.
The project period runs from 2023-02-01 to 2026-09-30, suggesting that final validated results will be available by late 2026.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with 7 industrial partners (58% ratio), including Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers. This strong commercial presence, combined with 4 universities and 1 research center across 6 countries, indicates a high probability of commercial translation and alignment with automotive standards.
Contact TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY in Finland
Contact us to explore licensing opportunities for rare-earth-free traction motors.
