Bentley Motors will do a three-year research study that aims to revolutionise the sustainability of electric motors.
“As we accelerate our journey to electrification, offering only hybrid or electric vehicles by 2026, and full electric by 2030, it is important that we focus on every aspect of vehicle sustainability, including sustainable methods of sourcing materials and components,” Bentley Motors engineering board member Dr Matthias Rabe says.
“RaRE promises a step-change in electrical recyclability, providing a source of truly bespoke, low voltage motors for a number of different applications and we are confident the results will provide a basis for fully sustainable electric drives.”
Supporting Bentley’s commitment to offer only hybrid or electric vehicles by 2026, the result could see recycled rare-earth magnets used in selected ancillary motors for the first time.
The study, titled Rare-earth Recycling for E-machines (RaRE), intends to build on work completed at the University of Birmingham in devising a method of extracting magnets from waste electronics. Furthermore, the project will scale up this process and repurpose the extracted magnetic material into new recyclable magnets for use within bespoke ancillary motors.
Adding to the sustainability benefits that RaRE will provide, the bespoke motors created through this method promise to minimise complexity through manufacture while supporting the development of the UK supply chain for both mass production and low volume components.
This study will run in parallel to Bentley’s OCTOPUS research programme which aims to deliver a breakthrough in e-axle electric powertrains, utilising a fully integrated, free from rare-earth magnet e-axle that supports EV architectures.
Like OCTOPUS, RaRE is funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
The six-partner, UK-based collaborative research and development consortium is aiming for first application by 2026.
