Plans are to find ways to reduce the size of battery magnets so that they contain less neodymium and dysprosium rare earth material and can be reused and/or recycled.
GKN also aims to achieve a 20% reduction in power losses, a 28% reduction in production costs, a reduction in material use of up to 66%, and a recycling of more than 80% of any rare earth material used, the company said.
The project, entitled HEFT, is led by Mondragon University in Spain, is funded by the European Commission and includes a total of eight partners from Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Spain and the UK.
“Minimising the environmental impact of manufacturing, particularly through a reduction in the use of rare earth critical raw materials, is an essential consideration in the development of future products,” said Aitor Tovar, senior global manager at GKN Automotive.
