The fact that the automotive industry has a large carbon footprint enables giant companies in this field to turn to electric cars for a more sustainable future. Many giant brands from around the world introduce their new electric cars every year and say that they will abandon traditional vehicles in the 2030s.
However, in order to produce such electric vehicles, costly and highly effective elements such as neodymium are required in batteries. Here, a 17-year-old teenager in the USA says he has designed an engine that can be used to produce electric cars that do not need these rare elements.
Why do we need to get away from rare elements?
First, let’s talk a little bit about the effects of these rare earth elements. Elements such as neodymium, from which the magnet used in the engines of vehicles is produced, currently plays a key role in the parts that power electric vehicles. To open it even more, electric vehicles use magnets made of such elements to get power. However, these elements also have some downsides.
Heath Hoffman, a professor at the University of Michigan and working extensively on electric vehicles, states that the demand for rare elements such as neodymium, samarium and dysprosium is very high and magnet motors are not very sustainable. He also emphasizes that there is a demand for these elements from different fields.
According to experts, the extraction of such rare earths can have bad consequences both financially and environmentally. Extraction of such elements harms the environment, undermining the sustainability of electric vehicles. In addition, the costs of the elements are quite high. By comparison, a rare element can be sold for hundreds of dollars a kilo; however, the weight of a common element such as copper turns out to be 7-8 dollars. This reveals the huge difference in costs.
17-year-old Sansone wants to end the need for rare elements in electric cars
17-year-old high school student Robert Sansone is a longtime engineering student. This friend of ours in Florida, USA, has done 60 different engineering projects so far. But the last thing he’s done is a project that has the potential to make a huge contribution to the future of humanity.
Sansone says he came across a video two years ago on the advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicles, where he saw the need for rare elements. Stating that he was interested in electric motors, the young man then decided to design a different engine that could help sustainability.
Electric motors, called reluctance motors, do not need rare earth elements. These motors, which are not powerful enough to be used in electric vehicles, are currently used in tools such as pumps and fans. Stating that he had heard of these engines before, Sansone started to try to improve the performance of the reluctance engine. Working for a year, the high school student created a prototype with more torque and efficiency than existing engines.
According to the descriptions, this prototype was made of plastic, copper wires and a steel rotor created by 3D printing. These works of Sansone brought him first place and a $ 75,000 award at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair held in the USA.
“The fact that my motor and vehicles are fully sustainable means my dreams come true”
Reluctance motors use steel rotors and air gaps. Sansone states that he thinks that instead of using the air gap to increase the reluctance (magnetic resistance) ratio, he can add another magnetic field to the engine. Adding that he managed to produce a working prototype after 15 unsuccessful attempts, the young engineer avoids giving more details about the project as he plans to obtain a patent for his technology in the future.
Finally, it was stated that Sansone tested the prototype for efficiency and torque. As a result of these tests, it was seen that the design exhibited 39% more torque and 31% more efficiency at 300 rpm. Heath Hoffman from the University of Michigan said that Sansone’s project was promising; however, stating that the production of such reluctance motors is complex and difficult, he points out that this is the biggest limiting factor in front of the idea. Sansone agrees with Hoffman; but he says that this problem can be solved in the future with new technologies such as 3D printing.
Saying, “It would be a dream come true to see electric cars produced with the help of my new engine design being completely sustainable,” Sansone states that he is currently working on the 16th version of his engine. Finally, the young engineer adds that if the engine continues to operate at high speed and efficiency, he will start the process of obtaining a patent. We will see in the coming years whether such engines, which have the potential to make electric cars completely sustainable, will be used.
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