new magnet built in Honda for electric and hybrid vehicles

Honda is a Japanese and smelting concern Daido Steel have jointly developed a new type of neodymium magnet, designed for use in power units of electric and hybrid cars.




Neodymium magnets have high power of attraction, but usually contain in their composition of heavy rare earth elements - dysprosium and terbium. Honda said that the deposit of such elements are unevenly distributed throughout the world, and this creates certain risks in terms of sustainable procurement and material costs.

Honda and Daido Steel Specialists able to develop a technology to use a neodymium magnet, which contains no rare earth elements, but it has high heat resistance and productivity. The proposed solution will be tested for the first time as part of the power plant Sport Hybrid i-DCD, which will be the "heart" of the new car Honda Freed (sales model will start this autumn).



Further Honda plans to use the proposed technology and in other vehicles. It is expected that the demand for neodymium magnets that do not contain the heavy rare earth elements, will grow as the volume of sales of electric and hybrid cars.