Ford rotor built with 100% recycled rare earth magnets passes durability test
By Eve
A UK consortium has completed an end to end circular rare earth supply chain for EV motor magnets, with Ford validating the results at its Dunton R&D facility in May 2026. Ionic Technologies recycled scrap NdFeB magnets into rare earth oxides at purities of 99.87% for neodymium, 99.56% for dysprosium and 99.75% for terbium, producing 120 kg, 10 kg and 8 kg respectively. Less Common Metals converted the oxides to alloy, GKN manufactured finished magnets in Germany, and Ford built two test rotors at its Halewood plant, with one passing dynamometer durability testing comparable to production grade mined material magnets.
Why it matters: The validated closed loop supply chain offers Western automotive manufacturers a potential route around China's rare earth export controls announced earlier in 2026, particularly for critical materials like dysprosium and terbium. GKN's confirmation that recycled alloy behaves identically to virgin material during manufacturing removes a key technical barrier to scaling circular magnet production for EV motors.