Toyota has manufactured new motors using 50% less rare earth minerals

By Sophie Chapman
The Japanese automotive manufacturer, Toyota, has been working on producing vehicle motors using less rare earth minerals. The construction of motors o...

The Japanese automotive manufacturer, Toyota, has been working on producing vehicle motors using less rare earth minerals.

The construction of motors often requires rare earth minerals to be used for magnets.

Rare earth minerals, although not actually rare, are often found in small quantities – therefore they require a lot of energy to extract and are considerably environmentally damaging.

Most of these minerals are mined in China, due to its lower energy prices and lack of environmental regulations, meaning that demand is often higher than supply.

With the price of the minerals rising in these conditions, Toyota has opted to create motors will 50% less.

SEE ALSO:

The magnet developed by the firm uses half the Neodymium than previously used, whilst maintaining a high performance.

The company aims to create “a balance between the supply and demand of valuable rare earth resources”.

“An increase in electric car production will raise the need for motors, which will result in higher demand for neodymium down the line,” stated Akira Kato, General Project Manager of Toyota’s Advanced R&D and Engineering company, Reuters claims.

“If we continue to use neodymium at this pace we’ll eventually experience a supply shortage … so we wanted to come up with technology which would help conserve neodymium stocks.”

Share

Featured Articles

ProGlove & topsystem Revolutionise Logistics Solutions

ProGlove & topsystem team up to elevate data capture in manufacturing. Pierre Mikaelsson, CPO at ProGlove, tells us more about innovations in automation

Car Manufacturers Urged to prioritise Inclusive Driving

Matthew Walker of ABC Mobility Group says car manufacturers must ensure disabled drivers’ independence is not compromised by new cybersecurity regulations

Digitising Supply Chains for Due Diligence & Trade

Brent Dawkins, Product Marketing Director at QAD, discusses digital due diligence & why manufacturers must prioritise compliance in today's trade landscape

GTK: IoT, Sustainability & Touchscreen Tech in Manufacturing

AI & Automation

Jabil: Insights on Sustainable Manufacturing Progress Report

Sustainability & ESG

The Impact of NCSA on Manufacturing & the Supply Chain

Procurement & Supply Chain