Tech Xplore reports that German car parts maker Mahle is developing a magnet-free electric motor that does not require rare earth elements. The motor will be less expensive to produce without the rare earth metals, according to Mahle officials. They also note that the design allows for tuning and changing rotor parameters, which in turn allows for improving efficiency. During testing, they found the design was 95% efficient, which they note has to date only been achieved by Formula E race cars. They further note that the increased efficiencies can be achieved at different speeds, which would help car batteries last longer. They expect mass production of the new motor to begin in about 30 months.
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-05-mahle-magnet-free-electric-motor-require.html
