A Survey on the Sustainability of Traditional and Emerging Materials for Next-Generation EV Motors

Francesco Lucchini, Riccardo Torchio and Nicola Bianchi ()
Additional contact information
Francesco Lucchini: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Via Gradenigo 6/a, 35131 Padova, Italy
Riccardo Torchio: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Via Gradenigo 6/a, 35131 Padova, Italy
Nicola Bianchi: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Via Gradenigo 6/a, 35131 Padova, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-19

Abstract: The transportation sector is experiencing a profound shift, driven by the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). As electric vehicle (EV) adoption accelerates, the sustainability of the materials used in their production, particularly in electric motors, is becoming a critical focus. This paper examines the sustainability of both traditional and emerging materials used in EV traction motors, with an emphasis on permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs), which remain the dominant technology in the industry. Key challenges include the environmental and supply-chain concerns associated with rare earth elements (REEs) used in permanent magnets, as well as the sustainability of copper windings. Automakers are exploring alternatives such as REE-free permanent magnets, soft magnetic composites (SMCs) for reduced losses in the core, and carbon nanotube (CNT) windings for superior electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. The topic of materials for EV traction motors is discussed in the literature; however, the focus on environmental, social, and economic sustainability is often lacking. This paper fills the gap by connecting the technological aspects with sustainability considerations, offering insights into the future configuration of EV motors.

Keywords: sustainability; electric vehicles; electric motor; permanent magnets; rare-earth elements; winding; copper; soft magnetic material; carbon nanotube conductors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/5861/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/5861/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:23:p:5861-:d:1527139

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().