Ricardo successfully develops and tests LCV motor without rare earths
By Bradley Osborne - 1st May 2025
Ricardo engineer tests Alumotor
UK – Ricardo plc, an engineering consultancy based in Shoreham-by-Sea, UK, provided an update last month on a project to develop an electric motor for light commercial vehicles, announcing that it had successfully made a prototype which is free from rare earth metals.
The prototype, dubbed ‘Alumotor’, is a synchronous reluctance motor which does not require rare earth metals or cobalt in order to work. It uses aluminium hairpin windings to generate a power output of 214 kilowatts. Cooled by oil, the machine boasts a maximum efficiency of more than 92%. Ricardo says that Alumotor is ideal for off-highway as well as light commercial vehicle applications and could be scaled up or down to suit other uses.
