Concerned about the availability and cost of rare earth metals Toyota Motor Corp is developing a new type of electric motor to cut its dependence on these exotic materials for hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles (HEVs).
Rare-earth minerals such as neodymium are used in motor magnets in Toyota’s Prius HEV as well as Nissan Motor Co.’s all-electric Leaf car, General Motors Co.’s plug-in Volt and Honda Motor Co.’s Insight HEV.
Toyota engineers in Japan and the U.S. are working on an induction motor that’s lighter and more efficient than the magnet-type motor now used in its Prius HEV, according to a Toyota company spokesperson based in the U.S. Research is described as being at an “advanced stage,” but the company did not released a specific timeline for the new motor