Bentley to study recycling of rare earth magnets for EVs
British luxury carmaker Bentley Motors is to begin a three-year study examining ways of developing a sustainable source of recycled rare earth magnets to be used in electric and hybrid vehicles.
Bentley will be working alongside a range of different organisations on the study including the University of Birmingham, Intelligent Lifecycle Solutions, Unipart Powertrain Applications, Hypromag, Advanced Electric Machines and British funding agency Innovate UK.
The hope is that the NdFeB magnets produced will have a significantly reduced embedded carbon cost than through the import of virgin materials.
Bentley engineering board member Matthias Rabe said: "As we accelerate our journey to electrification, offering only hybrid or electric vehicles by 2026, and full electric by 2030, it is important that we focus on every aspect of vehicle sustainability, including sustainable methods of sourcing materials and components."
In recent years, there has been increased concern over the environmental, social and security impact of the rare earth supply chains. At present 80% of the world's rare earth metals come from China and the mining and separation process has a large environmental impact and there has been criticism of the human rights conditions for those working in the mines.
Nonetheless, in the rapid shift towards electrification with automakers racing to secure enough batteries for EV batteries, these concerns have been overshadowed. Rare earth magnets are a vital element of EV battery production and with the uptake of electric vehicles increasing rapidly, there will be a significant increase in demand for both light and heavy rare earths over the coming decade.
"Rare earth magnets are found in almost every appliance that uses electricity to generate motion. In the last 30 years, their use has increased exponentially, and although they are increasingly important in the transition to a low-carbon economy, less than 1% of these magnets is recycled," the University of Birmingham said in a statement.
William Dawes, CEO of Mkango, which holds a 25% in Hypromag and is currently investing in a rare earth mining project in Malawi, said: "Recycling will play a key role in the development of robust supply chains to catalyse growth in the electric vehicle sector and in other clean technologies."
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