The Prius hybrid automobile is popular for its fuel efficiency, but its electric motor and battery guzzle rare earth metals, a little-known class of elements found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods. That makes Toyota's market-leading gasoline-electric hybrid car and other similar vehicles vulnerable to a supply crunch predicted by experts as China, the world's dominant rare earths producer, limits exports while global demand swells. Worldwide demand for rare earths, covering 15 entries on the periodic table of elements, is expected to exceed supply by some 40,000 tonnes annually in several years unless major new production sources are developed. One promising U.S. source is a rare earths mine slated to reopen in California by 2012. Among the rare earths that would be most affected in a shortage is neodymium, the key component of an alloy used to make the high-power, lightweight magnets for electric motors of hybrid cars, such as the Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Focus, as well as in generators for wind turbines...Reuters
Also see China Tightens Grip on Rare Minerals.
2 comments:
You prove a good point- and it’s especially important considering Toyota is considering building 100% electric cars with NiMH batteries soon (the only thing stopping them has been Chevron Oil, who bought the patent to the NiMH battery from GM and are holding onto the patents in a deathgrip). This means more rare-earth metals. Like anything though, it’s a trade-off, and it means less petroleum being mined (which is also… rare-ish, or going to be rare). For more information about why it’s a trade-off worth trading off, I suggest the Book about electric cars, “Two Cents Per Mile” by Nevres Cefo. It's a really good introduction to electric vehicles, their history, their advantages, and it also compares different types of batteries, and compares electric cars to hydrogen cars, natural gas cars, and standard cars. It's really really informative and has been critical in shaping my perspective about EVs. You can also read reviews and excerpts of it on Amazon.com.
Many thanks for the info.
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