rare earth metals

The supply of rare earth metals used in the manufacture of nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and permanent magnet motors that are found in most hybrids has been somewhat uncertain the past few years, what with China's lock on the supply and its recent policy of limiting exports. While there ...

It's not a secret that China has a near stranglehold on the world's supply of rare earth metals, but when President Obama spoke out against that country's control of the market today, the information probably spiked a bit on people's "is that true?" meters. Speaking at the White House but with ...

Toyota is working on a method of making electric-drive powertrains without using magnets that require pricey rare-earth metals such as neodymium and dysprosium, and may start integrating that process into vehicle production within two years, Reuters reported, citing Japan's Kyodo News. The ...

China's number one rare earth firm announced on Tuesday that it would suspend all operations immediately, according to Nikkei. The Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare-Earth Hi-Tech shutdown is reportedly a direct action aimed at countering falling rare earth prices Inner Mongolia Baotou, which ...

A mining project on a mountain ridge on Alaska's Prince of Wales Island may unlock a motherlode of rare earth resources, which are important components of many of today's electric drive vehicles. Between the Bokan Mountain deposit, owned by Canada's Ucore Rare Metals, and the nearby city of ...

A group of specialist engineering technology firms is set to embark on the development of next-generation electric-drive systems that do not require rare earth metals. UK-based Sevcon will lead the collaborative project that includes Cummins Generator Technologies and Newcastle University's Power ...

Government officials in China have reportedly ordered three rare earth mines to halt extraction by year's end. According to Xinhua, Jiangxi, a province in southern China, has reportedly issued a notice to three of its eight major rare earth-producing counties ordering the halt, says Li Guoqing, ...

It's been reported that soaring demand for rare earth metals will likely drive prices way up. This concept of demand = increased prices is supported by numerous individuals and firms. First, there's the report from Metal-Pages, which indicates that the price of neodymium, an element used in ...

Most hybrid and electric vehicles rely on rare earth metals. There'd be nothing wrong with that if China didn't supply in excess of 90 percent of the world's rare earth metals. Why is this a problem? Because China's recent decision to slash export quotas on rare earth metals has caused a surge in ...