Though their name is a bit misleading, rare-earth magnets aren't actually all that rare. Neodymium, iron and boron are found in the same quantities as zinc and copper within the Earth's crust. It's the process and expense of gathering these elements that proves challenging; they're often found amongst other materials and need extra refining. In modern electric motors, these workhorse magnets pull their weight, but finding other solutions will be more attractive in the long run.

The demand for rare-earth magnets for electric motors in cars, robotics and industrial machinery is high, but supply chain logistics are slacking with bottlenecking, trade issues and transportation delays. The desire to find a solution away from rare-earth magnets reduces wait times for materials and lowers the cost overall. Options already exist...and the innovations continue to reduce the need for rare-earth (and in some cases, any) magnets to power motors, keep comfortable costs, hack supply chain wait times and save energy.

Reinventing the "wheel"

Engineers are designing electric motors to host other materials in place of rare-earth magnets. Ferrite may not have the power of neodymium, but it's affordable and easily sourced. By optimizing some parts of the motor design process, rare-earth magnets can be substituted for a reliable alternative.

One solution, when practical, are induction motors; they don't even use magnets. Induction motors rely on generating electromagnetic fields for movement. This isn't novel though, as these motors have been turning for decades in the industrial manufacturing realm.

Modern technology is also lending a hand. Artificial intelligence (AI) software and digital twins let engineers know what to expect without rare-earth magnets in the mix before a prototype is even built. Still, the need for these powerful metals will never completely go away. There is no compromise with magnetic materials when it comes to MRI machines; no alternative magnets will do. The same goes for massive wind turbines. But electric BMW's 5th generation EV motor requires no magnets. Source: BMWGroup vehicles have a little more flexibility in their motor design process.

BMW has already implemented their (designed in-house) synchronous motors in their line of electric vehicles. No magnets needed, just torque from rotors choreographed to move in sync and speed with the stator (and up to 40% less energy lost in the process).

The manufacturing industry wouldn't be where it is today without the power of rare-earth magnetic materials. But when costs are already high and the global supply chain is supplying more headaches than resources, it's not the magnets that have the most strength; it's the engineers and design teams that are thinking outside the box to reduce dependency on natural resources and solve supply/economic issues before they have a chance to begin.

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