Japan develops hybrid with no rare earths: report
09-29-10, 09:39 PM
#1
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Japan develops hybrid with no rare earths: report
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jap...ort-2010-09-29
SYDNEY (MarketWatch) -- Japan's New Energy and Technology Development Organization has developed a hybrid vehicle that does not need rare-earth metals, the Nikkei reported Thursday. The new design uses magnets made from iron power "and other easily obtainable materials," rather than magnets made of rare earths neodymium and dysprosium, the report said. The new magnets are 10 to 20 times cheaper than the rare-earth version and reduces dependence on rare earth supplies from China. The news comes after a tense period for relations between China and Japan. The countries were locked in dispute over the arrest by Japanese authorities of a Chinese trawler captain. At the height of the tensions, reports emerged that China cut off rare earth supplies to Japan, although China denied making such a move.
09-30-10, 05:43 AM
#3
yah, 10 to 20 times cheaper, but do they work as good???
I have no idea the mechanics behind it, but I was always under the impression that motors (my only reference is toy motors) made with neo magnets are better than motors made with normal magnets...
I have no idea the mechanics behind it, but I was always under the impression that motors (my only reference is toy motors) made with neo magnets are better than motors made with normal magnets...
01-14-11, 06:47 AM
#4
Update
LOS ANGELES (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp., the world's largest seller of hybrid cars and light trucks, is developing an alternative motor for future hybrid and electric cars that doesn't need rare-earth minerals at risk of supply disruptions.
Toyota engineers in Japan and the United States are working on a so-called inductive motor that's lighter and more efficient than the magnet-type motor now used in its Prius, said John Hanson, a company spokesman. Research is at an “advanced stage,” he said, without saying when vehicles with the motors may be sold.
“It's a long-term approach,” said Hanson, who is based at Toyota's U.S. unit in Torrance, Calif. “When you're looking at a geopolitical issue like rare-earth supply, that can lead to developments that create very good solutions.”
The motor could help cut Toyota's dependency on rare-earth materials from China, which controls more than 90% of the global market for the metals. China's government cut export quotas for the 1st half of 2011 by 35% last month. That follows a 72% reduction in the 2nd half of 2010, causing the price of some of the metals to more than double.
In addition to the Prius, rare-earth minerals such as neodymium and dysprosium are used in motor magnets in Nissan Motor Co.'s all-electric Leaf car, General Motors Co.'s plug-in Volt and Honda Motor Co.'s Insight hybrid, as well as in mobile phones and rechargeable batteries. Toyota confirmed last year it has a task force to find rare-earth supplies outside China.
Battery-powered RAV4
In 2012, Toyota will sell a battery-powered RAV4 compact sport-utility vehicle with an inductive motor supplied by Tesla Motors Inc. that uses no rare-earth minerals. Tesla's all- electric Roadster sports car and future Model S sedan use a similar motor, also without rare-earth materials.
The RAV4 EV motor is separate from Toyota's next-generation electric motor project, Hanson said.
Toyota is developing efficient, cheaper, lighter motors, along with advanced batteries and power electronics, as electric propulsion is essential for next-generation autos, Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota's executive vice president for research and product development, said in an interview this week in Detroit. The company is making progress in all 3 areas, he said, without elaborating.
The automaker revealed this week it's also working on a magnesium-sulfur battery capable of holding twice the energy of lithium-ion cells. Under ideal conditions, such a battery can store 4,000 watt hours/liter of electricity, said Jeffrey Makarewicz, a Toyota battery engineer.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier today that Toyota is developing motors that don't use rare earth minerals.
01-14-11, 11:50 AM
#6
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Excellent. Political issue or not, this will make hybrid components cheaper and make the supply of materials much more stable, and much less affected by any political issues.
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