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Honda co-develops first hybrid car motor free of heavy rare earth metals

13 Comments
By Maki Shiraki and Naomi Tajitsu

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13 Comments
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China has a near monopoly on these metals and is thus in the position to price gouge, or withhold supplies. It has bottlenecked supplies in the past when it suited its political purposes. Good move on Honda's part.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Specific details are lacking, but if it's true fewer rare earth metals are being used then this is great news. Hopefully all industries will continue to find and develop materials that are less expensive to extract and use while at the same time reducing China's control over resources.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Adversity is the mother of invention or in this case innovation!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Necessity is the mother of invention!

Yay, Honda!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Great news!

Control of "resources" by territory has power. However, control over information that allows the use of such resources has greater power. Be it in the form of patents, copyrights or just plain "secrecy" the ability to keep information from being misused is just as important as the information itself. That is especially when that information can change the dynamics of world economy and political power.

I hope Honda is able to keep that for a while so that "reverse engineering" and outright disregard for patents and copyrights will not be an issue. Toyota opening its Hydrogen fuel technology for the entire world to use, actually disarmed such power grab and allowed true and most probably "equal" "competition" for "innovation" and "creativity" in using that technology, thus preventing power struggle and politics.

In any case, "fairness" within that competition will always be an issue with politics and power; socially, economically and otherwise.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Good for Honda using home grown tech. Nice job.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@sf2k - I read "heavy rare earth metals" in the headline and "light rare earth element" in your quote. How is the headline a lie?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

it's misleading as there are still rare earth metals used and goes on to describe continual dependency, contrary to the point

1 ( +1 / -0 )

And the model name ?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The redesigned motor still uses the light rare earth element neodymium

Title is thus a lie. Add "almost" or "mostly"

0 ( +1 / -1 )

HREEs are one classification, LREEs are another classification of rare earth elements. I won't get into an argument I'll just agree to disagree with you.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How fuel efficient is it, (surely No. 1 KPI?) especially vs the previous model and vs the competition?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

changes are normal; depends on supply and demand paradigms.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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