Bentley Motors is embarking on a research project that will last for three years with the intention of radically improving the environmental friendliness of electric motors. As a consequence of this, repurposed rare-earth magnets may be employed in some accessory motors for the first first time. This would help support Bentley’s aim to provide solely hybrid or electric cars by the year 2026.
This research project, which will be known as RaRE (Rare-earth Recycling for E-machines), will expand on previous efforts made at the University of Birmingham to develop a technique for removing magnets from used electronic equipment. In addition, this process will be scaled up as part of the project, and the magnetic material that is recovered will be repurposed into new recyclable magnets that will be used inside customized accessory motors. The recycling techniques that were developed at the University of Birmingham will be scaled up by Hypromag, and the extracted powders will be converted into sintered magnets with qualities based on those that are necessary for the auxiliary motors.
“RaRE is an intriguing initiative and a good chance to illustrate the relevance and potential of short loop recycled magnetic material,” noted Nick Mann, Operations General Manager at Hypromag. “RaRE is a tremendous opportunity.” The recycling processes developed by HyProMag enable us to manufacture NdFeB magnets with an incorporated carbon cost that is much lower than the cost of utilizing virgin supply and with independence from Chinese supply.
In addition to the positive effects that RaRE will have on the environment, the bespoke motors that are produced through the use of this method promise to reduce the amount of complexity that is involved in the manufacturing process, all while contributing to the growth of the supply chain in the United Kingdom for mass production as well as low volume components.
Dr. Matthias Rabe, a member of the board for engineering at Bentley Motors, made the following statement in response to Bentley’s research goals: “As we accelerate our journey to electrification, offering only hybrid or electric vehicles by 2026, and full electric vehicles by 2030, it is important that we focus on every aspect of vehicle sustainability, including sustainable methods of sourcing materials and components.” Bentley Motors plans to offer only hybrid or electric vehicles by the year 2026, and fully electric vehicles by the year 2030.
“RaRE promises a step-change in electrical recyclability, providing a source of truly bespoke, low voltage motors for a number of different applications, and we are confident that the results will provide a basis for fully sustainable electric drives.” RaRE stands for Recycling of Electrical Equipment, and it provides a source of truly bespoke, low voltage motors for a number of different applications.
This research will be conducted in conjunction with Bentley’s OCTOPUS research program, which has the overarching objective of achieving a milestone in the field of electric powertrains for e-axles by implementing a fully integrated e-axle that is free of rare-earth magnets and supports the architectures of electric vehicles.
RaRE is also an OZEV-funded project, however, it is being carried out by Innovate UK in collaboration with the latter.
