Hoping to avoid one of the more costly components of the hybrid equation, Toyota has potentially found an answer to working around the expensive and increasingly rare precious metals used specifically to produce hybrid cars.
The solution Toyota has found to circumventing the need for rare and pricy metals that are almost entirely mined in China comes from a new process that the automaker says it is prepared to put into action in two years if the cost of said metals does not come down, according to Kyodo News via Reuters.
As it stands now, China produces some 95 percent of all of the world’s rare earth metals, and as the communist regime continues to tighten its grip on the exportation of said metals, automakers like Toyota that rely heavily on hybrid vehicle sales are being forced to find alternative methods or face price gouging or materials shortages. Toyota knows this, so as a spokesman pointed out, the automaker is continually looking for ways to build its magnet motors without expensive rare earth metals such as neodymium or dysprosium.
For now, Toyota isn’t sharing exactly what its process is that allegedly bypasses the need for the rare earth metals, but one can only assume it is too expensive to present itself as a viable alternative to using China-sourced metals at this time.
