Contrary to their name, rare-earth magnets are not made from rare materials; they are nevertheless the most powerful permanent magnets. The term “rare-earth” originates from the 17 elements in the ...

Magnets made of rare-earth metals like neodymium are commonly used in the generators found in offshore wind turbines. Turbines with neodymium magnets generally need less maintenance than those without ...

To make them requires mining and refining rare earth elements—a supply chain largely controlled by China. Companies around the world are racing to find alternatives by using materials that are more ...

Toyota says it has invented a new magnet for high-energy applications like electric motors that uses a fraction of the amount of neodymium (a rare-earth element) of a standard iron, boron, neodymium ...

The rise of electric vehicles is threatening supplies of a host of the earth’s elements. Cobalt and lithium for batteries are getting most of the attention, but rare earths for electric motors are ...

THE MOTORS driving today’s electric cars use powerful magnets made from rare-earth metals. Not all rare earths are actually that rare. Neodymium, for instance, is about as abundant as tin. But good, ...

Trump invoked the 69-year-old Defense Production Act to remedy what he called “a shortfall” in production of the super-strong magnets made with rare-earth minerals neodymium and samarium. President ...