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Reportedly, Honda has developed its first commercial electric engine for its hybrid models that doesn't use any of the heavy rare earth metals. Via this development, Honda engineers have challenged the two most crucial powertrain components in the industry, which include the high cost and rarely found metals on earth used in the powerful magnets.
As of now, a large number of electric motors use dysprosium and terbium in their magnets. Prices for these lustrous chemical elements have been soared in a recent time. But, thankfully Honda has neglected both of them.
Let's get a bit mechanical here!! The efforts were done by the side of the Japanese metal supplier Daido Steel and rather than developing magnets via the usual sintering process, they have gone for a hot deformation method. In simple terms, the crystals inside the magnets get excellent heat resistance by this, which only a few metals could achieve previously.
Discussing this, a joint statement from the companies said “A reduction in the use of heavy rare earth elements has been one of the major challenges needing to be addressed,” before a hybrid variant of the Japan's Freed subcompact minivan was confirmed.
The Japanese manufacturer has this breakthrough at just a perfect time as by the year 2019 reaches, the market for global rear-earth metals would probably soar by $9 if it grows at the rate of 14 percent annually, says Automotive News. However, Honda utilizes neodymium metal, but, that's very common and readily-available than the rest ones used by the automakers for making the magnets.
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