News
Other automakers follow Tesla into rare earth metal-free powertrains
Tesla and others are looking to end the use of rare earth metals in future electric vehicle (EV) motors, with U.S., European and Japanese automakers all considering the move to help reduce reliance on China.
During the company’s Investor Day event earlier this year, Tesla’s Vice President of Powertrain Engineering Colin Campbell announced that the company’s next-generation powertrain would include a permanent magnet motor with zero rare earth metals. Automakers including General Motors (GM), Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Nissan and more, along with the supplier BorgWarner, are all developing, researching or have already created motors with low- or zero-rare earth materials, according to a recent report from Reuters.
We’re developing a powertrain that’s more efficient & also doesn’t require any rare earths pic.twitter.com/QLbpQSf2nA
— Tesla (@Tesla) March 1, 2023
Nissan has taken its attempts further than previously reported in the development of new magnet-free externally excited synchronous machine (EESM) motors, which utilize an electrical current to create a magnetic field. Eventually, the Japanese automaker plans to phase out the use of rare earth metals entirely through EESM development and the use of permanent magnet motors. Nissan also currently utilizes an EESM motor in the Ariya crossover.
“This is an important contribution to making us a little more independent of China,” said Otmar Scharrer, CTO of German supplier ZF.
ZF has created an EESM motor that Scharrer said offers similar performance and overall size to those in permanent magnet motors.
Currently, the processing and mining of the 17 minerals known as rare earth metals are dominated by China, and many have sounded the alarm on relying too heavily on the country — especially after the government announced a recent export ban of gallium and graphite, both of which are crucial for EV production.
There are also sustainability reasons to move away from the use of these minerals, along with those related to bolstering the home supply chains of individual markets. Other rare earth materials like neodymium and dysprosium require the use of solvents and generate toxic waste, opposing current environmental standards and goals.
Detroit-based company Drive System Design is working on motors free of rare earth metals with three different automakers, and the firm’s Director of Engineering Business Development, Ben Chiswick, also highlights the environmental benefits of the shift.
“If you get it right, you’ve got a much more sustainable product,” Chaswick said.
BMW has reportedly conducted several years of research into motors without rare earth materials.
“It was not a home run… but it works very well without rare earths,” said Uwe Deuke, BMW’s lead engineer for the EESM motor being developed for its next-generation vehicle.
Even automakers that aren’t phasing out rare earths entirely are reducing their content dramatically in upcoming EV designs. Mercedes-Benz, for example, will use almost no heavy rare earth materials in its next-generation EV, although it will still be a permanent magnet motor using a small amount of the minerals.
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Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.
In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”
The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.
In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide.
Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.
Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.
In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.
News
Tesla Giga Berlin makes a statement of solidarity amid IG Metall conflict
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
Tesla Giga Berlin is sending a strong message of solidarity amid its ongoing legal dispute with German union IG Metall.
In a post on social media platform X, Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig shared an image of the facility’s lobby covered with a large banner that reads: “Progress. Innovation. Success.” He added that the slogan reflects what the facility has stood for since Day One.
“Our lobby at Giga Berlin covered in a huge banner these days. Progress. Innovation. Success – this is what we stand for since we started production in 2022 and how we will go into our future!” Thierig wrote in his post on X.
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
The dispute began after Tesla accused a union representative of secretly recording a works council meeting at Giga Berlin. Tesla stated that it filed a criminal complaint after the alleged incident. Police later confirmed they had seized a computer belonging to an IG Metall member as part of their investigation.
“What has happened today at Giga Berlin is truly beyond words! An external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting. For unknown reasons he recorded the internal meeting and was caught in action! We obviously called police and filed a criminal complaint!” Thierig wrote on X at the time.
IG Metall denied the accusation and characterized Tesla’s move as an election tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections. The union subsequently filed a defamation complaint against Thierig. Authorities later confirmed that an investigation had been opened in connection with the matter.
Giga Berlin began production in 2022 and has since become one of Tesla’s key European manufacturing hubs, producing the Model Y, the company’s best-selling vehicle. The facility has expanded capacity over the past years despite environmental protests, labor disputes, and regulatory scrutiny.
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
