Rare Earth Metals Supply: The Next Microchip Crisis?
1.12.2021 11:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
With the heightened scrutiny of automotive contributions to climate change, automakers’ full attention is focused on electric vehicles (EVs). The electrification of transportation will help reduce reliance on fossil fuels, eliminate tailpipe emissions and help mitigate climate change. EVs, however, have a challenge: rare earth metals in their motors.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211201005051/en/
Tula’s DMD™ Dynamic Motor Drive paired with synchronous reluctance motors (pictured here) could help lower EV production costs. (Photo: Business Wire)
Rare earth metals are not rare in nature, but rarely are they concentrated in amounts that make extraction and processing economically feasible. Demand for rare earth metals is increasing in conjunction with the transition to an electrified future. The anticipated supply-demand imbalance, supply-chain management issues and escalating costs are causing automakers to look for other options.
Tula Technology, Inc., a leader in propulsion efficiency, recently authored a whitepaper titled “Rare Earth Materials and their Impact on the Future of Electric Motors,” that highlights the challenges associated with rare earth metals used in EV motors and offers practical alternatives.
Tula’s Dynamic Motor Drive (DMD™), a patented DMD pulse density strategy, avoids rare earth metals in EV motors by deploying synchronous reluctance motors (SynRMs), which typically do not utilize rare earth metals. The unique control algorithms implemented through DMD improve the efficiency of SynRMs, positioning them as a viable alternative to the permanent magnet motors used in the vast majority of EVs today.
“The limited supply of rare earths, coupled with growth in demand, has resulted in price increases that are likely to continue. Beyond pricing, rare earth dependence is increasing supply chain risk, and it could easily become the next microchip crisis for the automotive industry,” said R. Scott Bailey, president and CEO of Tula. “EV manufacturers can implement an economical solution while avoiding the challenges of rare earth metals by combining synchronous reluctance motors with DMD. Our solution could lead to broader consumer adoption of EVs by lowering costs.”
DMD provides the greatest benefit for off-grid applications like EVs where battery capacity or range are concerns. The benefits of DMD also can be substantial wherever motors and generators are used, such as home appliances, industrial motors or wind power generators.
Advancing the conversation and awareness around EV technologies, Tula engineers recently presented “Optimizing Electric Motor Controls with Dynamic Motor Drive” at the 2021 Aachen Colloquium on Sustainable Mobility, an annual conference held in Aachen, Germany, as well as the Aachen China Colloquium. Both conferences attract automotive experts and researchers from around the world to exchange ideas on future mobility.
For more information on Dynamic Motor Drive, visit tulatech.com/dmd.
About Tula Technology, Inc.
Silicon Valley-based Tula Technology provides innovative award-winning software controls to optimize propulsion efficiency and emissions across the mobility spectrum, including gasoline-powered, diesel, alternative fuel, hybrid, and electric vehicles. Tula’s culture of innovation has resulted in breakthrough technologies and a robust global patent portfolio of more than 380 patents issued and pending. Tula Technology is a privately held company backed by Sequoia Capital, Sigma Partners, Khosla Ventures, GM Ventures, BorgWarner and Franklin Templeton. More information is available at www.tulatech.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211201005051/en/
Contact information
Tula Technology, Inc.
Ram Subramanian
Principal Marketing Strategist
ram@tulatech.com
Media: Financial Profiles
Debbie Douglas, SVP
ddouglas@finprofiles.com
949-375-3436
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
iQmetrix Unveils Built-In Intelligence for Every Role in Telecom Commerce at Its 2026 Telecom Industry Address5.11.2026 23:39:00 EET | Press release
iQmetrix, the global provider of Intelligent Commerce Operating Systems for telecom, last week shared highlights from its 2026 Telecom Industry Address and Product Announcements, held virtually on Oct. 28 in two sessions, one for North American audiences and one for European audiences. The address was built around one theme: intelligence. Telecom commerce is moving from systems that record the business to systems that act on it, and the announcements put that intelligence in the hands of every role, from the sales associate at the counter, to the finance manager in the back office, to the corporate view leading the channel experience. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261105003162/en/ "Right now telecom providers are competing in a race to the bottom on price that no one wins. The way out is intelligence. Not AI bolted onto a fragmented tech stack, but intelligence built into how commerce runs. Information plus
Compass Pathways Announces New Employee Inducement Grants Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)5.11.2026 23:30:00 EET | Press release
Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking urgently needed new treatment options in mental health care, announced today that Compass granted equity awards under the Compass Pathways plc 2026 Inducement Plan to nine newly hired non-executive employees. The equity awards were granted on November 2, 2026, and consisted of options to purchase an aggregate of 59,275 shares and restricted share units or, in the case of employees in the United Kingdom nominal cost options, covering an aggregate of 28,200 shares. These options have an exercise price per share equal to $8.41, the closing price of the Company’s American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the grant date, and will vest over a four-year period with 25% vesting on the first anniversary of the date of the grant and the remaining 75% vesting in equal monthly installments over the three-year period thereafter, subject to each employee’s continued employment. The restricted s
Graco QUANTM i230 Brings Electrification to High-Flow Fluid-Transfer Applications5.11.2026 23:16:00 EET | Press release
Graco Inc. is helping manufacturers electrify high-flow fluid-transfer applications with the global launch of the 3-inch QUANTM® i230, bringing efficient electric drive technology to demanding processes that have traditionally relied on pneumatic pumps. Paint, coatings and ceramics manufacturers depend on diaphragm pumps for their flexibility, reliability and ability to handle challenging materials. But pneumatic pumps also depend on compressed air — an energy-intensive plant resource whose available capacity can fluctuate as demand changes across a facility. The QUANTM i230 gives manufacturers another option for qualified high-flow applications. By combining familiar diaphragm pump capabilities with electric operation, the pump helps manufacturers move more material, reduce transfer bottlenecks and lower energy consumption by up to 80% compared to pneumatic pumps, while maintaining operating flexibility. “High-flow processes in industries like paint, coatings and ceramics have continu
ThetaRay Named World’s Best Software Provider for AML and Sanctions Screening in the 2026 Euromoney Transaction Banking Awards5.11.2026 20:30:00 EET | Press release
ThetaRay, a global leader in AI-native financial crime compliance infrastructure, has been named The World’s Best Software Provider for AML and Sanctions Screening at the 2026 Euromoney Transaction Banking Awards. Evaluated by Euromoney’s editorial and research team, ThetaRay was recognized for technology excellence, verifiable performance, and advancing the modern transaction banking value chain. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261105714764/en/ The recognition reinforces ThetaRay’s standing as foundational compliance infrastructure for global institutions, closely following Chartis Research ranking ThetaRay #8 globally in the Financial Crime and Compliance50 (FCC50) 2026 report and naming the company a Category Winner for Explainable AI. “Our customers operate on the front lines against illicit networks exploiting the speed and scale of modern payment rails, which means defensive technology must meet and outp
Arthur D. Little: H1 2026 Private Capital Fundraising Strengthens While Market Sentiment Highlights Investor Shift to Europe over US and Asia5.11.2026 19:58:00 EET | Press release
Invest Europe, the association representing Europe’s private equity, venture capital and infrastructure sectors, as well as their investors, today released ‘Investing in Europe: Private Equity Activity H1 2026’ and ‘The Insight: State of the European Private Equity Industry 2026’, an annual market sentiment report published jointly with global management consultancy Arthur D. Little (ADL). Together, these show increased fundraising for European private equity and venture capital versus the same period last year, stronger investor allocation expectations for Europe, and declining appetite for the US and Asia. The sentiment report also demonstrates how AI is reshaping the industry and portfolio companies, while defence-related themes are topping GPs’ target investments. GPs (General Partners/fund managers of PE firms) and LPs (Limited Partners of PE firms/fund investors) are reacting and adapting to another year of geopolitical unpredictability and market volatility marked by Middle East
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom