China lags in important electric car technology despite rare earths advantage, says permanent magnets scientist

British scientist Zi-qiang Zhu says Chinese companies produce less valuable innovations on permanent magnet motors, an important component of electric cars

The comments suggest China faces hurdles in achieving Beijing’s goal of turning advantages in rare earths and research into technological leadership

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Tesla’s Model 3 vehicles seen during a delivery event at its factory in Shanghai on January 7, 2020. The Model 3 is one of many electric vehicles that rely on permanent magnet motors, an area in which researcher Zi-qiang Zhu says China lags. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:00am, 16 Oct 2021

Chinese electric carmakers are still lagging behind their foreign rivals in permanent magnet (PM) motor innovation despite the fact that China is the world’s dominant supplier of the rare earth metals required for making them, a top Chinese British scientist said in an interview.

Zi-qiang Zhu, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Sheffield, said in a group interview this week that Chinese electric vehicle (EV) companies, which include traditional carmakers and new players, are generally relying on less valuable technologies than overseas companies.

“If you look at Toyota, BMW or Nissan, they all have their own innovation in their electric machines. But I don’t see that China has any substantial innovation in new energy vehicles,” Zhu said.

Ziqiang Zhu, a top researcher in permanent magnet machine technology, received the IEEE Nikola Tesla Award in October for his work in the field. Photo: Handout

The comments suggest a key weakness in China’s industrial development as Beijing pushes to transform advantages in resources, market size and academic research into technological leadership. While China’s electrical vehicle industry has attracted many investors, including troubled property developer China Evergrande, companies are relying on relatively low-value technologies that are easy to copy, according to Zhu.

The comments also come from someone whose research is highly valued in China.

Zhu, a fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK, is known for his work in electrical machines and permanent magnets, which won him the 2021 IEEE Nikola Tesla Award. The 59-year-old was born in China, but he migrated to the UK in 1988.