Elon Musk says Tesla has a rare-earth-free motor. Should China be worried?
Elon Musk says Tesla’s new Cybercab motor has no rare earths, but analysts saw the move as only a slight step towards reducing industry reliance – or China’s leverage
David Zhang, general secretary of the Shanghai-based International Intelligent Vehicle Engineering Association, said that Tesla’s rare-earth-free motor remained largely a “commercial concept”, and it was still not certain whether the vehicle’s engine could match the efficiency and performance of conventional motors containing rare earth permanent magnets.
“Musk’s recent claim reflects Tesla’s efforts to strengthen supply chain security as the US and China use advanced chips and rare earths, respectively, as leverage against each other,” he said.
Zhang noted that Tesla initially used rare-earth-free AC induction motors before adopting rare earth permanent-magnet motors in mass production with the Model 3 in 2017, which offered improved performance.
