← Rare Earths
Dependency· Rare Earths · Link
EV motors & wind turbines, global industry
Chicago, United States41.66°N 87.57°W
computed criticality34/100
reading
≈1–3 kg of NdFeB per EV motor; ≈600 kg/MW for offshore wind
2025Fault line
Permanent-magnet synchronous motors power most EVs, and direct-drive offshore wind consumes them by the tonne. In May 2025, Ford idled its Chicago plant for want of magnets, the first full-scale demonstration that a Chinese export licence can halt an American assembly line within weeks.
Actors
Ford (Chicago)
Tesla, BYD, VW
Siemens Gamesa (Cuxhaven)
Goldwind (Beijing)
Depends on 8
MOFCOM export controls, BeijingRare Earths · Critical anchor↗JL MAG Rare-Earth, GanzhouRare Earths · Critical anchor↗Shin-Etsu magnets, EchizenRare Earths · Link↗Vacuumschmelze, HanauRare Earths · Link↗MP Materials, Mountain PassRare Earths · Link↗Aluminium smelting, Binzhou, ShandongCritical Metals · Critical anchor↗PGM catalytic converters, Johnson Matthey, UmicoreChemicals & Materials · Critical anchor↗Jadar project, lithium, Rio Tinto (Serbia)Grids & Energy · Link↗Shocks endured
Ford Chicago halts for lack of magnetsMay 20, 2025 · epicentre↗Beijing puts heavy rare earths under licenseApr 4, 2025↗Sources
IEA, 2025 ↗estimate