Electric motors with no rare earths

	Electric motors with no rare earths(renaultgroup.com)
	700 points by bestouff 2 days ago \| 213 comments
	tl;dr: Renault has been mass-producing electrically excited synchronous motors (EESM) since 2012, avoiding rare-earth magnets by using wound rotors instead—a strategic hedge against China's ~90% monopoly on rare earth production. Current second-gen motors power the Megane, Scenic, R5, R4, and Alpine A290/A390, while a third-gen E7A motor arriving in 2027 will deliver 200 kW, 800V architecture, ~92% efficiency, and be 30% smaller with 30% lower carbon impact. All motors are built at Renault's Cléon plant in France.
	HN Discussion: ↓Article omits key drawbacks of EESMs like brush wear and complexity ↓Framing as innovative is misleading since wound-rotor motors are over a century old ↓Competitors like BMW have more advanced rare-earth-free motors, undermining Renault's leadership claim ↓Skepticism about efficiency claims and questioning what the actual innovation is ↑Supports the strategic hedge against Chinese rare-earth monopoly as broader geopolitical wisdom