Electric motors are vital components of all types of battery-powered vehicles. However, EV motors traditionally require magnets and rare-earth materials, such as neodymium and niobium. To address the issue, engineers are scrambling to develop new designs that offer increased efficiency and reliability, in addition to reduced cost and noise.

In 2022, 82 percent of the electric car market globally was using rare earth based permanent magnet motors. Magnet-free alternatives include switched reluctance motors and wound rotor synchronous motors.