Electric motors without magnets: This is how car manufacturers want to escape the China trap for rare earths
Not only do almost all the batteries for electric cars come from China. Another important component of many engines also comes from there. But there are alternatives.
China's control of the global rare earth magnet market puts pressure on Europe's auto industry. In April 2025, China restricted exports of certain elements and magnets, causing production disruptions among suppliers, with some factories halting production and others facing shortages. Rare earth magnets are used in various car components, including electric motors, window lifts, and windshield wipers.
These magnets enable compact, lightweight, and efficient designs with high performance, making them crucial for electric vehicles. The sought-after resources, including Neodym, Praseodym, and Dysprosium, are not particularly rare but their extraction and processing are concentrated in a few countries.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
