Rare Earth-Free Next-generation High Power Density Electric Powertrain

道路运输产生了约四分之一的英国/全球碳排放和三分之一的英国/全球NOx和颗粒物排放(导致糟糕的空气质量/雾霾和相关的不利健康影响，如呼吸系统疾病--尤其是在人口稠密的城市地区)。电动汽车(EVS)是英国政府净零战略的关键组成部分，该战略还包括到本世纪30年代逐步淘汰新的汽油/柴油汽车的计划。许多领先的汽车制造商现在已公开承诺建设电动汽车的未来。英国和全球消费者对电动汽车的需求正在迅速增长，世界各地发达经济体的政府/行业关键参与者正在充电基础设施、消费者激励措施和国内电动汽车零部件供应链方面投入巨资。关键电动汽车零部件的供应需要跟上需求的步伐，以实现汽车行业的净零雄心。锂镍钴供应链经常被认为是电动汽车电池的潜在瓶颈，但较少被广泛认识的是动力总成(高效驱动它们所需的电机和电力电子设备)的稀土元素供应链瓶颈。动力总成通过电磁能量的控制将电池中储存的化学能转化为车轮的动能/动能-因此，它们在推动电动汽车整体性能、续航能力和成本方面处于核心地位。目前使用的绝大多数电动汽车动力总成依赖稀土元素来提供高推进性能(功率和扭矩密度)和动力转换效率水平。动力总成的性能和效率共同决定了续航里程、电池容量/效率和车辆重量。高性能、续航里程和可负担性是使电动汽车相对于熟悉和值得信赖的汽油/柴油车吸引消费者的关键。如果稀土元素变得稀缺(定义为稀有)，电动汽车动力总成的成本将大幅增加，电动汽车的性能和续航能力将相当有限--这将使汽车电气化项目面临风险。此外，稀土元素开采与严重的环境污染(包括进入大气的放射性废物和作为灰尘/径流的供水)和恶劣的工作条件有关。为了应对这一挑战，该项目将推动开发一种独特且高度创新的无稀土动力总成设计，这将支持电动汽车提供可观的环境效益(气候变化缓解和空气质量)，而不会出现与稀土元素供应链相关的不利因素。通过这一过程，该项目的成果将进一步为英国纳税人带来显著的投资回报、高价值制造业就业机会和国内电动汽车供应链安全。

Road transport produces around 1/4 of UK/Global carbon emissions and 1/3 of UK/Global NOx and particulate emissions (responsible for poor air quality/smog and associated adverse health effects such as respiratory disease - particularly in densely-populated urban areas) \[DFT2021\].Electric Vehicles (EVs) form a key part of the UK government's net-zero strategy, which also includes plans to phase out new petrol/diesel cars by the 2030s. Many leading vehicle manufacturers have now publicly committed to an electric future.UK and global consumer demand for EVs is rising rapidly, and governments/industry key players in developed economies worldwide are investing heavily in charging infrastructure, consumer incentives and domestic EV component supply chains.The supply of key EV components needs to keep pace with demand to deliver net-zero ambitions in the automotive sector. The Lithium-Nickel-Cobalt supply chain is often cited as a potential bottleneck for EV batteries, but less widely-recognised is the rare-earth-element supply chain bottleneck for powertrains (motors and power electronics required to drive them efficiently).Powertrains convert the chemical energy stored in batteries into kinetic/moving energy of the wheels through the control of electromagnetic energy - they are therefore central in driving overall EV performance, range and cost.The vast majority of EV powertrains in use today rely on rare-earth-elements to deliver high propulsion performance (power and torque density) and power conversion efficiency levels. Powertrain performance and efficiency together determine range along with battery capacity/efficiency and vehicle weight.High performance and range combined with affordability are critical to making EVs attractive to consumers versus familiar and trusted petrol/diesel cars. If access to rare-earth-elements becomes scarce (they are rare by definition), the cost of EV powertrains would increase significantly, and the performance and range of EVs would be considerably limited - putting the project of automotive electrification at risk.Furthermore, rare-earth-element mining is associated with severe environmental pollution (including radioactive waste entering the atmosphere and water supplies as dust/runoff) and poor working conditions.In response to this challenge, this project will progress the development of a unique and highly innovative rare-earth-free powertrain design, which matches current industry-leading levels of performance and efficiency.This will support delivery of the considerable environmental benefits of EVs (climate change mitigation and air quality), without the downsides associated with rare-earth-element supply chains. Through this process, the outcomes of the project will additionally deliver a significant UK taxpayer return on investment, high-value manufacturing jobs and domestic EV supply chain security.