June 12, 2026
No magnets, all mayhem
Renault: Electric motors with no rare earths
Renault says its EV motors dodge rare earths — commenters say “cool, but you’re not alone”
TLDR: Renault says its electric cars use motors that avoid rare earth materials, a big deal because those supplies are heavily controlled by China. Commenters weren’t ready to crown a winner, though — many said rivals like BMW and Nissan already do similar things, turning the thread into a bragging-rights brawl.
Renault rolled in with a big flex: it says it has been building electric car motors without rare earth materials for years, and it’s betting even harder on the idea with a next-gen version due in 2027. The pitch is simple enough for non-engineers: most electric cars use special magnets made from materials that are hard to source and heavily tied to China, while Renault’s design tries to avoid that dependency. In a world obsessed with supply chains, that’s not just nerdy car trivia — it’s a geopolitical plot twist.
But the comment section instantly turned into a fact-check party. One camp basically said, “Nice try, Renault, this isn’t some magic breakthrough — you swapped a permanent magnet for an electromagnet.” Another group piled on with the classic internet response: “Also, BMW already does this, and arguably better.” That became the spiciest mini-drama of the thread, with users arguing over who’s actually leading and whether Renault deserves pioneer status or just good marketing.
Then came the broader industry reality check. Commenters noted Renault is far from alone, name-dropping BMW, Nissan, and a whole web of European and Indian suppliers already pushing similar motor designs. And the most forward-looking hot take? Someone asked how long until these rare-earth-free motors get paired with cheap sodium batteries, basically hinting that the real showdown could be a brutal price war meets range war. In other words: Renault wanted applause, but the internet gave it a comparison chart and popcorn.
Key Points
- •Renault says it has mass-marketed rare-earth-free electrically excited synchronous motors (EESM) since 2012, despite permanent-magnet motors dominating most EVs.
- •The article explains three main EV motor types: permanent-magnet synchronous motors, asynchronous motors, and electrically excited synchronous motors.
- •Renault's first-generation EESM motors appeared in Kangoo Z.E and Zoe, while the second-generation 6A family entered production in 2021 and reached up to 160 kW in the Megane E-Tech electric.
- •Recent Renault and Alpine EVs including Renault 5 E-Tech electric, Renault 4 E-Tech electric, Alpine A290, and Alpine A390 use versions of Renault's EESM motor family.
- •Renault's planned 2027 E7A motor targets 200 kW, 400 Nm, 92% efficiency, a 30% smaller package, 30% lower carbon impact, and an 800-volt architecture to reduce charging times.