Simple Energy's New Electric Motors Are Fully Made In India
Simple claims to be the first brand to commercially manufacture heavy rare earth element-free electric motors
At this time Bengaluru-based EV manufacturer, Simple Energy has announced that it has started commercial production of heavy rare earth-free motors. The company says this is a first for India and claims the motors deliver the same performance and torque as conventional electric motors. This comes at a time when global electric vehicle makers are coping with shortages of critical raw materials (due to geopolitical events) for electric motors, particularly rare-earth elements.
Why This Is Important
All the work behind this development has been carried out at Simple Energy’s facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The company claims it has created a motor that uses “optimized compounds” ( replacing heavy rare earth magnets) along with its own software algorithms to manage heat and torque.
The usage of heavy rare earth elements are quite common on electric motors because of their compact size and high torque density. However, China is one of the largest countries to mine these, and recent trade restrictions have affected the electric motor supply chain, which in turn has started affecting the production of EVs in India.
Hence, it is important for brands to avoid relying on foreign countries and try and find ways to use alternative materials so that the supply chain remains localized, and is unaffected by global geopolitical events. CEO and Co-founder Suhas Rajkumar said that “The future of electric mobility must be built on independence, not dependency. This technology shows that it’s possible to perform without relying on rare earth magnets.”
Simple Energy’s Future Plans
Simple Energy is already known for its electric scooters such as the Simple ONE Gen 1.5 and Simple OneS. It currently operates 46 showrooms across Indian cities, and has plans to expand further in the next two years.
While it remains to be seen how the new motor will perform in the real world conditions - on both Simple One and Simple OneS. This is something we’ll be able to comment on once we’ve ridden the two electric scooters. We’re also yet to see if the new motors make any impact on the pricing of the e-scooters.
Apart from Simple, Ola Electric, Ather, TVS and other brands have also been working towards making rare earth-free motors. Ola’s new motors will be incorporated on its EVs in a phase-wise manner from this year-end. Ather is also on the verge of using such motors for its electric scooter lineup.