(1) On NHK's morning news on the 22nd, it was reported that "the Chinese government will ban the export of rare earth magnet manufacturing technology for EV drive motors.

 

Is this in response to U.S. restrictions on the export of semiconductor manufacturing equipment?

 

(2) It is hard to believe that China has the technology to manufacture the "latest rare earth magnets. →China's only countermeasure against the U.S.?

 

Rare earth magnet materials cannot be produced outside of China.

 

The reasons are the following contents.

 

①Rare earth ores are procured from Myanmar and other countries. In Ganzhou (China), oxides are produced by pouring extractive solutions (sulfuric acid, etc.) directly into a pile of rare earths. →The treatment of waste acid is part of the pollution. In addition, radioactive elements contained in the waste acid have a great impact on the human body. →Carcinogenic Effects?

 

The reason why Australia does not produce rare earths in Australia is clear.

Securing Supply of Heavy Rare Earths to Japan with Additional Investment to Lynas | 双日株式会社 (sojitz.com)

 

 

② For example, neodymium oxide (Nd2O2) is highly purified (e.g., ammonium bicarbonate) to produce neodymium metal. High-purity neodymium oxide is fed into a molten electrolytic furnace, and a large amount of "lithium fluoride" is fed in to lower the boiling point. →It can be presumed that the input of lithium fluoride remains a human means.

 

In Japan, Stellar Chemifa is the supplier.

https://www.stella-chemifa.co.jp/products/cat2/03.html

 

Molten salt electrolysis consumes a large amount of electricity. →Can we go carbon neutral?

https://jglobal.jst.go.jp/detail?JGLOBAL_ID=200903004016279014

 

(3) The manufacturing method for rare earth magnets is patented by Pro Materials (formerly Hitachi Metals), and Shin-Etsu Chemical and TDK license manufacturing and sales. Mainly, Japanese market. Chinese market is patent free!

 

 

https://www.proterial.com/products/magnetic/neomax.html?utm_campaign=Yahoo_ad%E3%80%90%E7%94%A3%E6%A9%9F%E6%9D%90%E3%80%91&yclid=YSS.1001306635.EAIaIQobChMIkMWGhuWhgwMVTtIWBR3w6ADjEAAYASAAEgL4IfD_BwE

 

 

https://www.shinetsu-rare-earth-magnet.jp/products/

 

TDK

https://product.tdk.com/ja/products/magnet/magnet/neodymium/index.html

 

(3) U.S. Tesla's drive motors are rare earth-less magnets

https://www.fukuta-motor.com.tw/jp/about.html

 

 

General-purpose three-phase induction motors (IEC)

Tomita has built its business foundation on IEC AC motors and will continue to focus on new development, optimizing and upgrading its product capabilities without changing its original intention;

We are committed to meeting the needs of various industrial innovations and conforming to international IE3 standards in response to the world's energy-saving promotion. Tomita has been developing and producing various types of AC motors, and in recent years has been developing and servicing customized EV powertrains in addition to optimizing early-stage development products.

Three-phase induction motors: When three-phase alternating current is applied to the stator windings of a motor, a rotating magnetic field is formed. The closed guide bars of the rotor induce potential and current by cutting the magnetic field lines of the stator magnetic field. The passing conductors are subjected to ampere forces in the magnetic field, driving the rotor to move. Three-phase induction motors have horsepower of over 1/4 HP and can reach 270 HP. They are also divided into pole numbers such as 2 P, 4 P, 6 P, and 8 P.

 

 

So it seems that Tesla has already implemented a drive motor that does not use rare earth magnets.

 

If this becomes standardized, the China risk will be eliminated.

China's latest export restrictions on magnet manufacturing technology are meaningless. If China were to impose another export restriction on rare earths, it would completely destroy its credibility, and this too is unlikely to be implemented.

 

 

(iruniverse EM, translated by S. Aoyama)

 

 

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