Raw materials for e-mobility E-motor from Newcastle without magnets and copper

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A start-up from Newcastle, England, is eliminating rare earths and copper from e-motors. The use of aluminum saves 90 percent in costs, is fully recyclable, and makes the drives more efficient.

With aluminum instead of copper and a design completely free of rare earths, AEM aims to redefine electromobility. The company, which emerged from Newcastle University, promises lower costs, more performance, and fully recyclable technology. Unlike conventional electric motors that rely on neodymium or dysprosium magnets, the drive technology of Advanced Electric Machines (AEM), founded in 2017, reduces dependence on rare earths and their environmentally damaging extraction.

"Dependence on rare earths and copper brings significant political and financial challenges and harms the environment," is CEO and co-founder James Widmer convinced. By replacing copper with aluminum, coil costs could be reduced by 89 percent and performance increased by up to 30 percent. "This technology redefines how motors are manufactured, recycled, and integrated into sustainable mobility solutions."

"By eliminating permanent magnets, we have removed the effects of demagnetization, making the e-drives safer and reducing the complexity of thermal management," describes Tom Elliott, Business Development Director at AEM, a technical advantage of the approach.

Sustainability and efficiency in focus

The current series product is called HDSRM (High-Density Switched Reluctance Motor). The motor is already used by various customers in trucks, buses, and rail vehicles. According to AEM, the three key advantages of the HDSRM are:

• Material savings: The aluminum windings of the HDSRM are lighter and 90 percent cheaper than copper alternatives.

• Energy efficiency: The motor offers a 22 percent reduction in AC/DC power loss and approximately 30 percent higher continuous power compared to copper-based windings.

• Recycling: Thanks to the design, the motor can be easily recycled at the end of its lifecycle in a steel recycling process.

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Powerful alternative

The HDSRM demonstrates comparable efficiency and performance to interior permanent magnet motors (IPM), but offers several advantages:

• No electromagnetic losses: The motor has no magnetic losses, allowing for higher efficiency at high speeds.

• Flexibility: The motor can be operated with standard three-phase inverters and is versatile in use.

• Robustness: The motor operates smoothly even at high temperatures, as there is no risk of demagnetization.

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AEM has already completed over three million kilometers of field testing with the HDSRM and has integrated the technology into applications such as trucks, buses, and rail vehicles. Additionally, the company is developing a motor type for passenger cars and light vehicles with the SSRD (Segmented Switched Reluctance Drive).

This motor type is currently in the A-sample phase. Widmer specifies the speed at up to 30,000 revolutions per minute. The efficiency is 94 percent. While the SSRD, like the model described above, can be combined with standard control electronics, AEM engineers are working on integrated power electronics.