They have no intention of doing the same as others. After putting a lot of weight on the (successful) deployment of hybrid vehicles and the (future) deployment of hydrogen cars, Toyota has finally launched itself into the current race for 100% electric vehicles. But the Japanese manufacturer wants to do it with his sauce – to avoid being too dependent on suppliers often Chinese. The group announced Tuesday that it has found a solution to limit, without loss of performance, the recourse Neodymium, a rare earth widely used in the magnets of electric motors. Like terbium and dysprosium.
This “world first”, which will be machinable in ten years, would reduce the need for neodymium by 50% by replacing it with lanthanum and cerium. Two rare earths too, but much less expensive: they cost 5 and 7 dollars per kilo, against 100 dollars for neodymium. The latter has the disadvantage of being less common.
Possible shortages
“The most optimistic forecasts anticipate supply shortages” of neodymium from 2025, says Toyota in his press release . “The rise in electric vehicle production will lead to a much higher demand for neodymium. If we continue to use it like today, the industry could face stockouts, “said Akira Kato, the project manager.
On the sensitive issue of rare earths, Japan has been confronting for 10 years China, which controls about 90% of the world’s reserves. Protectionism or preservation of the resource, Beijing has repeatedly banned exports of rare earths to the archipelago. If the Chinese government seems to have eased its position Tokyo is still asking its industrialists to minimize their dependence on the subject.
Double bites
Since the creation of a dedicated division in 2016, Toyota has been working hard on 100% electric vehicles. The manufacturer plans to launch ten lithium-ion vehicles by 2020, starting with China. Akio Toyoda, the boss of the group, who says it must invest 13 billion dollars in the development and manufacture of batteries, estimates that half of its sales will be 100% electric in 2030.
To achieve this, Toyota has forged a vast technological alliance with Panasonic . The two compatriots want among other things to put on the market in a few years a solid battery capable of recharging faster with a capacity greater than a lithium ion battery. “We believe that this technology could change the market,” said a few weeks ago, Didier Leroy, number 2 of the group.