July 24, 2023 – In an exciting breakthrough for the electric vehicle (EV) industry, Proterial, a prominent Japanese company formerly known as Hitachi Metals, has successfully developed a revolutionary electric motor that utilizes a neodymium-free magnet. This achievement comes as a major milestone in the quest for sustainable and eco-friendly transportation solutions.
Traditionally, neodymium magnets have been extensively used, especially in neodymium-based magnets, for electric vehicles. However, their widespread adoption faced challenges due to the scarcity of rare earth elements. Proterial addressed this issue last year when they confirmed through advanced simulations that “ferrite magnets” primarily composed of iron oxide could be effectively employed in electric motors for pure EVs. Building upon this discovery, the company has now taken a significant step forward by producing and testing prototypes of the new ferrite magnet-based motor.
What sets the ferrite magnet apart is its magnet strength, which is only about one-tenth of neodymium magnets concerning output power. Until now, major electric motor manufacturers had not utilized ferrite magnets practically in their EV motors. Nevertheless, Proterial’s ingenuity in redesigning the magnet’s placement has led to the development of a groundbreaking technology that significantly boosts the motor’s power output. Rigorous testing of the prototypes confirmed that the required output power for pure electric vehicles could indeed be achieved using ferrite magnets.
Proterial has no intentions of independently mass-producing the electric motors; instead, the company plans to sell ferrite magnets and related components to electric motor manufacturers. Their ambitious goal is to have electric motors utilizing ferrite magnets adopted in pure EVs by 2035. To achieve this, Proterial will initiate marketing activities aimed at promoting the adoption of their innovative magnet technology in the electric vehicle industry.
