The motor used in cars contain rare earth materials and as the name suggests because these materials are rare they are costly and their prices have increased in the recent years, which has eventually led to the jump in the prices of cars as well. As a solution to this problem, scientists working at the lab of Nobukazu Hoshi at the Tokyo University of Science have developed an electric car, whose motor is free of rare earth metals. The best part about this car motor is that though it does not contain rare earth metals, its functionality is similar to a car motor, which contains rare earth elements.
The motor has been used in an electric car developed at Tokyo University of Science. This motor, with an output of 50KW and efficiency more than 95 percent, has been named “Switched Reluctance Motor” by the scientists. The motor generates energy for rotation by using the difference in magnetic resistance. The scientists claim that the motor is heat-resistant.
There are some drawbacks of the motor as well. The major problem is that the torque and energy efficiency of the switched reluctance motor is less than the motor’s containing rare earth metals. The poor torque, however, cannot take away the credit from the research group as this motor can achieve a level of torque density, which no other switch reluctance motors can. The researchers are also concerned about the noise and vibration that can create problems after the loading of the motor in the vehicle. These problems, however, will be sorted out as the scientists are conducting tests to resolve these issues.
Via: DigInfo
