Indian startup patents rare-earth-free electric motor for EVs, challenging China’s supply chain dominance

By eliminating permanent magnets entirely, Vimag’s design shifts the rotor toward a more conventional synchronous or wound-field-like architecture (likely using ferromagnetic materials, copper windings or excitation systems, and a robust core), with the “virtual magnet” effect handled externally through electronics and software.

Potentially, it could lead to simplified structure and fewer parts.

Rotors become primarily laminated steel cores with possible excitation windings or salient poles, without embedded magnets. 

This reduces assembly steps: no magnet insertion, gluing, balancing for magnet placement, or specialised retainers. 

Manufacturing resembles established induction motor or wound-rotor processes, which are already mature and scalable.

While VMSM cuts direct material costs and exposure to price swings, it could also lead to easier and faster assembly, reduced risk of defects during handling, faster production lines and lowers scrap rates.

Automation becomes simpler without dealing with strong magnetic forces that can interfere with robotic assembly.

Without demagnetisation risks, designers can optimise for higher operating temperatures or simpler cooling systems.

Rotors may also be lighter or more compact in some configurations, improving overall power density and manufacturing tolerances.

Perhaps the biggest upside: It could also enhance scalability and supply chain resilience — localised production in India or elsewhere becomes viable without rare-earth dependencies, supporting rapid scaling for India’s EV market (two- and three-wheelers especially) and exports.

This could also make end-of-life rotors easier to recycle using standard scrap processes, with no hazardous rare-earth separation needed. This aligns with circular economy goals and regulatory pressures.

Performance tuning (torque, efficiency, field weakening) moves largely to algorithms and over-the-air (OTA) updates rather than hardware redesigns. This accelerates development cycles and allows rotor variants without full retooling.

To reduce this dependence, governments, universities, national laboratories, and automakers worldwide are developing electric vehicle (EV) motors that use little or no rare earth elements. 

In the United States, organisations such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the US Department of Energy, General Motors, Stellantis, Tesla, and Niron Magnetics are leading these efforts.

Similar initiatives are also underway in Europe through collaborations like the Passenger consortium.