A visit to just about any modern car dealership will yield a range of vehicle choices few contemplated a decade ago. In addition to being able to choose from a variety of sizes and body styles, consumers now have an additional choice to make: traditional gasoline engine, fully-electric engine, or a hybrid of both?
Once considered a rarity, electric vehicles (EVs) have entered the mainstream in a big way. EVs, still evolving daily, aren’t going anywhere. They’re here to stay, and it’s only a matter of how quickly the technology will continue to develop.
One major factor that could impact future EV technology development—especially in light of current uncertainty surrounding tariffs and a looming trade war with China—is the availability (and affordability) of a wide variety of rare earth minerals that are currently used in nearly all EV batteries.
Significant tariffs and a prolonged trade war could decrease the amount of rare earth minerals EV battery manufacturers are able to source from China, which possesses the lion’s share of the world’s reserves of these all-important minerals. There is some hope on the horizon, though, thanks to new technology being developed by Silicon Valley startup Conifer.
According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, author Christopher Mims notes that Conifer “has unveiled a cheap, easily manufactured motor using magnets made from everyday iron.” Experts believe the Conifer “motor has the potential to become a go-to low-cost power plant for countless applications.”
The brains behind Conifer were “hyper-focused on cost, simplicity and sourcing. Its solution was taking a design found in high-end hybrid supercars, then scaling down the size and bill of materials. Instead of those rare-earth magnets, its motors can use permanent magnets based on plain old iron.”
Mims points out that “[f]or makers of everything from EVs to robots, it’s the dream: an affordable, easy-to-manufacture electric motor that can be made entirely from materials found within most country’s borders. It’s tariff-proof tech. And now that China controls 90% of the world’s supply of rare-earth minerals, which serve as magnets in most motors and other electronics, it’s also an imperative.”
Before you get too excited, it’s important to point out that this new technology is in its infancy. For now, “Conifer’s first, modest goal [is] to create a drop-in replacement for existing motors that go into electric, Vespa-like scooters. The company has already also developed several sizes of motors that could fit other machines, from HVAC systems to home electronics. The tech could scale up to power an EV.”
In fact, a Conifer representative believes “[a] small but highway-ready EV powered by Conifer’s motors could happen within four years.” However, a wider application to EVs, in general, could be a ways off, because “[u]sing Conifer’s motors would also require a change in EV design.”
According to Mims, “Most EVs have a centralized electric motor that transmits power to wheels. Conifer’s motors live in the wheels. Building EVs with in-wheel motors has long been a dream for some automotive designers, since it could mean overall improvements in efficiency and traction.”
The technologies being developed by Conifer and other EV pioneers are exciting. It’s too early to tell exactly what impact these new technologies will have, but the EV future does appear to be bright. Of course, bringing these technologies to scale will require similar development on the workforce development side of the equation.
As EV technologies continue to evolve, the workers in the facilities that produce these batteries and the EVs themselves will need to stay on the cutting edge of technical skill development. This focus on continual skill improvement will require both upskilling of current workers and training current students with the advanced skills they’ll need to be successful in these jobs.
The experts at Amatrol have been working hand-in-hand with industry and educational institutions for years to design training programs featuring eLearning curriculum and hands-on experience with trainers equipped with industrial components workers will encounter on the job.
When it comes to EV training, Amatrol is once again leading the way. Recently, Amatrol hosted the State of Ohio Electric Vehicle Workforce Strategy meeting at its headquarters in Jeffersonville, Indiana, to help chart a course for preparing the Ohio workforce for the jobs that EV battery and vehicle manufacturing facilities will soon bring. Click here to watch a video about that meeting.
What Amatrol has learned is that, in many ways, the development of EV battery and vehicle manufacturing facilities shares similarities with semiconductor manufacturing facilities. They both represent precision manufacturing that requires advanced automation skills.
Visit Amatrol online to learn more about its EV Manufacturing Program. You can also download Amatrol’s EV Manufacturing Program brochure. For more information about how Amatrol can help you upskill your current workers, contact an expert at Amatrol today!
