Posted on 06/12/2024 11:23:02 AM PDT by Red Badger
As some entities identify new (or at least overlooked) sources to meet the growing demand for rare earth materials, others are looking toward new tools. UK deep-tech company Materials Nexus announced on Tuesday that it has designed a new rare-earth-free permanent magnet with the help of its AI platform. It says the AI-driven discovery and development process was 200 times faster than the resource-intensive manual route, bringing new hope to an electrifying world with a growing appetite for powerful magnets.
With the world moving away from internal combustion engines and gradually embracing electric mobility, the demand for compact, high-power motors is rapidly rising. By far the most popular option in the automotive industry right now is the permanent magnet motor, which powers upward of 80% of modern electric vehicles.
Materials Nexus estimates that demand for permanent magnets will grow tenfold by 2030, in the EV industry alone. And it's not just electric cars and trucks, either. Permanent magnet motors are in demand for many applications, including robotics, drones, wind turbines and HVAC equipment.
The problem is, the rare earth materials used to create the most powerful magnets and most efficient, power-dense motors – materials like neodymium and dysprosium – require damaging mining and expensive, energy-intensive processing. With its world-largest EV market, China has emerged as a leader in both mining and processing of rare earths, pulling as much as 70% of the world's rare earths out of the ground while processing closer to 90%. That gives the country monopoly-like control over the essential materials, leaving other markets exposed to supply disruptions and pricing fluctuations.
The search for alternatives is on, and some automakers and suppliers are starting to develop and incorporate magnet-free motors. Others, including Tesla, are pursuing permanent magnet designs free from rare-earth materials.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
That new Neutrino detector could.................
I heard Arne Saknussemm already mapped the center of the Earth as recorded in the documentary Journey to the Center of the Earth. 😁
That album rocks.
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