On February 18, Bentley announced a three-year research initiative aimed at recycling rare-earth magnets as a breakthrough in electric vehicle sustainability. Bentley has set a goal to transition its entire lineup to hybrid or all-electric vehicles by 2026. This research could potentially enable the use of recycled rare-earth magnets in some auxiliary motors for the first time globally.

The research, named RaRE (Rare-earth Recycling for E-machines), will build upon a method developed by the University of Birmingham for extracting magnets from waste electronics. The process will be scaled up, and the extracted magnetic material will be transformed into new, renewable magnets for use in bespoke auxiliary motors.

Beyond sustainability, RaRE will also support the development of domestic UK supply chains for both mass-produced and low-volume components by manufacturing specialized motors through this method, minimizing complexity in the production process.

This research will run in parallel with Octopus's research program, which aims to commercialize a fully integrated e-axle that does not use rare-earth magnets, revolutionizing electric powertrains and supporting the structure of electric vehicles. The resulting electric drive systems are expected to outperform current permanent magnet motors while eliminating the need for rare-earth magnets and copper windings, making them cost-effective and recyclable.

Like Octopus, RaRE is a project funded by OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicle) in partnership with Innovate UK, involving six partners each with their own roles and responsibilities.

Bentley Motors: Will lead specification setting and test protocol development, supporting design and manufacturing processes.

HiPoMag: Will scale up the recycling process developed at the University of Birmingham, converting extracted powders into sintered magnets with the required properties for auxiliary motors.

Unipart Powertrain Applications: Will scale up the manufacturing route to align with automotive mass production equipment and processes.

Advanced Electric Machines Research: Will be responsible for automotive design and development.

Intelligent Lifecycle Solutions: Will pre-process computer hard disk drives to extract components, including rare-earth magnets, from waste materials, and ship them to HiPoMag for rare-earth magnet extraction.

University of Birmingham: Will provide cast alloys for HiPoMag to mix with secondary raw materials for the production of sintered magnets.

Dr. Matthias Rabe, Member of the Board for Engineering, commented on Bentley's research objectives: "Bentley is accelerating its journey towards electrification, with the goal of transitioning our entire lineup to hybrid and all-electric vehicles by 2026 and achieving full electrification by 2030. To achieve this, it is crucial to focus on all aspects of sustainability, including the responsible sourcing of raw materials and components. We are confident that RaRE will revolutionize the recycling of electronics, providing a source for bespoke low-voltage motors applicable in various uses, and laying the foundation for fully sustainable electric vehicles."