Ford Motors is coming out with a range of "electrified" cars this year, ones that have either hybrid, or plug-in hybrid or all electric drive trains. The cars have high fuel efficiency, but they also reduce use of rare earth metals. Ford's new electrified vehicles, such as the 47-mpg Ford Fusion Hybrid and EPA-certified 47-mpg C-MAX Hybrid feature lighter, more efficient, more powerful lithium-ion batteries that are expected to reduce Ford's use of expensive, rare earth metals by up to 500,000 pounds annually, while improving Ford's fleet fuel efficiency.
Rare earth metals are in short supply around the world, and as in so many things China has developed a dominant position in rare earth metal supply. Many have worried that widespread adoption of high technology electrified vehicles would switch us from a dependency on foreign oil, to a dependency on foreign rare earth metals. The effort by Ford to reduce rare earth metal consumption in the company's electrified cars should help allay those fears.
In Ford's marketing terminology, "electrification" refers to any sort of electric technology built into a vehicle to improve fuel efficiency. This includes hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all electric drive trains.
Most of the reduction comes from switching away from Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH) batteries to lithium-ion. NiMH batteries contain a range of rare earth metals including neodymium, cerium, lanthanum and praseodymium, none of which are used in the new lithium-ion batteries. Ford has also reduced the use of Dysprosium in magnets used in electric motors. Dysprosium, the most expensive rare earth metal used in Ford vehicles, is reduced by approximately 50 percent in new Ford Fusion and Ford C-MAX Hybrid electric vehicles.
The reduction was undertaken for both financial and physical reasons. By doing away with expensive materials Ford can lower the MSRP, or offer more capability for the same MSRP. Also the switch from NiMH to Li-ION batteries in Ford's hybrid vehicles means the battery pack is 50 percent lighter and 25-30% smaller, leaving more room for other things such as cargo.
"We're continually looking to find ways to provide greater fuel efficiency as well as cost savings to customers of our hybrid vehicles, and the reduction of rare earth metals is a key part of this strategy," said Chuck Gray, chief engineer, Global Core Engineering, Hybrid and Electric Vehicles. "The third-generation hybrid technology we are now using builds on our 20 years of electric vehicle innovations."