Lucid Motors is developing plans to build electric motors without rare earth materials, interim Chief Executive Marc Winterhoff said at the European debut of the Gravity SUV in Munich this week.
While ramping up production of Gravity, the EV maker is developing three new models — including an off-road vehicle — with the first set to launch late next year on its new mid-size platform.
Earlier this year, supply shortages nearly disrupted the company’s production at its plant in Casa Grande, Arizona.
Asked about Valeo and Mahle’s jointly developed permanent-magnet-free motor that avoids rare earths, Winterhoff confirmed Lucid is pursuing similar efforts.
“Well, yes, the answer is yes. We’re working on it,” Winterhoff said.
“We actually have a plan for driving without any rare-earth, and there’s a stepping stone between these, because you have to distinguish between heavy rare-earth and light rare-earth,” Lucid‘s chief explained.
“The heavies are more difficult to get than the lights, and we have also additional sources outside of China,” the interim CEO added.
French supplier Valeo and German supplier Mahle have launched in October 2024 a jointly developed iBEE (inner Brushless Electrical Excitation), a new-generation motor without permanent magnets.
The design eliminates the need for rare earths, which are used in most high-performance EV motors, and targets output of 220 to 350 kilowatts for larger vehicles.
The companies said the technology reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by about 40% compared with conventional permanent-magnet motors.
Winterhoff previously said on Lucid’s second-quarter earnings call in August that output had been held back by supplier bottlenecks and a shortage of magnets from China.
In April, Beijing restricted exports of rare earth magnets in response to US trade measures, adding pressure to global EV supply chains.
The CEO told investors in early August Lucid was able to source and swap in different magnets and had secured enough supply to support production through the end of the year.
The Claifornia-headquartered brand trimmed its annual production guidance at that time to a range of 18,000 to 20,000 units, down from its prior 20,000-unit forecast.
Lucid began taking European orders for the Gravity this week, with production already underway. First deliveries are planned to start in the first days of 2026.
