Toyota Prius, Other Fuel-Saving Cars, May Soon Be Free Of Heavily Regulated Rare Earths

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp has developed a way to make hybrid and electric vehicles without the use of expensive rare earth metals, in which China has a near-monopoly, Japan's Kyodo News reported.

Toyota, the world's top producer of fuel-saving hybrid cars such as the Prius, could bring the technology to market in two years if the price of rare earths does not come down, Kyodo said, citing a source familiar with the matter.

A Toyota spokeswoman said the company continues to research ways to reduce rare earth usage and has no time frame yet for commercialization.

Rare earth metals like neodymium and dysprosium are used in the powerful magnets in motors that power hybrid and electric cars, and demand is expected to surge as more of the environmentally friendly cars hit the market.

China produces more than 95 percent of the world's rare earth metals. Its efforts to limit exports, citing resource depletion and environmental degradation, have alarmed its customers and trading partners and have sent prices soaring.

Japan accounts for a third of global rare earth demand and is aiming to cut consumption, providing subsidies for recycling and investing in new ways to limit their use.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Risa Maeda; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

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Comments

[andrewsmith2]

01:36 AM on 03/09/2012

I always had this question in my mind that if these so called fuel saving cars can actually save some of our fuel. With the fuel prices going high day by day it has become important for us to save it as much as we can.

Andrew
website - http://www.miningstockalerts.com/

[dbrett480]

06:05 PM on 01/26/2012

I'm surprised China's monopoly of rare earth materials hasn't gotten that much attention. For any nation to monopolize a natural resource, should be considered a national security threat. But not a single mention of that. Strange.

[andrewsmith2]

01:39 AM on 03/09/2012

This is so true, and i agree with you on that. No nation should be allowed to monopolize a natural resource.


andrew
website - http://www.miningstockalerts.com

[jmlambion]

07:57 PM on 01/24/2012

Approximately 13 million metric tons of rare earth elements (REE) exist within known deposits in the United States, according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of these elements by the U.S. Geological Survey. The fact that China controls 95% of current world production is a result of China’s deliberate market manipulation. By undercutting other producers they have cornered the market. The United States was once one of the largest producers of REE before it became cheaper to get REE from China. It is China’s policy to take the long view and put China first. It is U.S. policy not to look past the next election and put Corporate profits first. Free markets and free trade are not always in the best interests of consumers or National Security. Sometimes, it's better to be fair and smart when it comes to international trade.

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2642

[vaeho]

05:58 PM on 01/24/2012

if the hp hall police don't approve the below cvomment , i am out.

[vaeho]

05:56 PM on 01/24/2012

the US should pay for research to find alternatives to rare earths so we are not dependent on China for them .China is already sqeezing users of rare earthsThe Republicans will be against government funding because they , as bush/ Cheney were with oil, would prefer the market forces to squeeze the consumers.

[Neitherpartieslapdog]

09:07 PM on 01/23/2012

Toyota could easily use ceramics but they would add weight as it takes about 10-15 times the amount of ceramics to equal the same amount of magnetism of Neodymium magnets by weight.

[Neitherpartieslapdog]

09:00 PM on 01/23/2012

This is the same reason most loud speaker magnets are now made of a ceramic ferrite material, (the big round thing on the back). They used to be made of a mixture of aluminum, nickel, and cobalt (AlNICo) until the price of cobalt went up in the 70's. Check out the listings for the old JBL 120f and 130f speakers used in the old Fender Twin amps. Not uncommon to see Buy IT Now prices at 500.00-750.00 a pair. Huge difference in sound quality in an instrument amplifier

[planetjeffy]

07:55 PM on 01/23/2012

Mr Fusion will pretty much put all these guys out of business

[biskitdaddy]

04:12 PM on 01/23/2012

With their unregulated industries they're polluting their air and water and are slowly killing themselves anyway.

[1Truthseeker]

03:19 PM on 01/23/2012

It is comforting to read that the Japanese are committed to developing a technology less reliant on rare earth. The mining process for rare earth is far more toxic and leaves behind massive environmental degradation and radiation exposure for it's workers as well as allowing more alpha & beta radioactive particles to be airborne. It is a tragedy that today human innovation is market driven rather than the quest of excellence and elegance. By elegance I mean the least amount of energy expended for the function attained. It seems that once again our government on behalf of US corporate profit greed is enriching a government that is totalitarian in nature and whose sole ability to function is to oppress and dominate. These traitorous corporations have delivered technology created by American engineers and inventors into the hands of self serving tyrants, devastating hundred of major production centers and entire industries in the US. Yet these very traitors are rewarded with a 2.5 % import tax of their foreign manufactured goods while the goods produced by America's labor is taxed at 35% by the Chinese. This is crony capitalism at it's worst rewarding the traitors and penalizing the patriots who continue to manufacture and deliver their services in the US. Our government has been taken over by a crime ring for many decades now.

[authorized-user]

12:04 PM on 01/23/2012

China will lower the price to maintain market share and cripple R&D.

[Neitherpartieslapdog]

09:11 PM on 01/23/2012

Like they did with titanium. The cost of titanium plummeted when China dumped a load of it on the world market. At one time from what I have read (on the internet so take this with a grain of salt) titanium was almost as much per ounce as many precious metals.

[jsarets]

11:12 AM on 01/23/2012

Wow, Toyota invented polyphase induction motors and variable-frequency drive! Take that, Nikola Tesla, GM EV1, AC Propulsion, and Tesla Roadster! These things must not have ever existed. I must have imagined them.

[Runey]

04:44 PM on 01/23/2012

So.... what you're saying is Nikola, GM, AC, and Tesla all simultaneously invented the same thing?

[jflorish]

10:22 AM on 01/23/2012

The U.S. used to own alot of the rare earth businesses about 15 years ago, then they let China buy the U.S. companies, and of course China closed down the U.S. businesses so now they are the only supplier. It's unbelievable the U.S. was dumb enough to let that happen, especially when rare earth metals are used heavily in military items also.

[jsarets]

11:03 AM on 01/23/2012

China simply undercut the U.S. rare earth mining industry. This is one of those cases where environmental regulations really did play a significant role in choking off domestic production. Mining rare earths has an extremely high environmental impact with large amounts of waste.

One could make a reasonable case for why we shouldn't want this industry anyway, because it is a potential hazard to agricultural output from the Great Plains region, and agriculture is the most important core industrial export sector for the United States.

National security is a compelling counterargument, though.

[ancientuno]

12:46 PM on 01/23/2012

Certainly doesn't surprise me any.

[Kamereon]

09:58 AM on 01/23/2012

Nice try China, your hoarding and over-charging ways are leading to your obsolescence.

[Sheng Paule]

11:25 AM on 02/01/2012

Um I think that is a slight exaggeration or wishful thinking but nice to dream