An electric vehicle motor built with 100% recycled rare-earth magnets has passed automotive durability testing in its first trial. It has demonstrated performance equal to motors made from mined materials.

The process was validated by Ford at its research and development facility in Dunton, UK. According to Ionic Rare Earths, this marks the completion of a circular rare earth supply chain. No other Western recycled rare-earth producer has met a higher automotive standard.

“Electric vehicle motors rely on high-quality rare-earth permanent magnets, and by manufacturing these test rotors at Halewood and validating them at Dunton, we proved that recycled magnets can meet our rigorous commercial standards on the first attempt,” said Dennis Witt, UK Innovation Manager at Ford.

During validation, Ford built two test rotors at its Halewood e-motor plant using the recycled magnets. Engineers ran one rotor on a dynamometer at the Dunton facility, where it passed a durability test cycle with results comparable to rotors made with standard production-grade, mined magnets.

The project was executed by a consortium led by Ionic Technologies—a Belfast-based subsidiary of Australia’s Ionic Rare Earths—alongside Less Common Metals (LCM), GKN, and Ford UK.

A multi-step recycling process

The supply chain operated through a multi-step recycling process. First, Ionic Technologies recycled scrap neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets and alloyed them into individually separated rare-earth oxides using its proprietary technology. Next, Less Common Metals (LCM) converted those oxides into metal and strip-cast alloy to magnet specification.

GKN then manufactured the finished magnets at its facility in Radevormwald, Germany, reporting that the recycled alloy flakes behaved identically to virgin material during manufacturing. Finally, Ford integrated the magnets into its EV motor rotors for durability testing.

The trial relied on high purity levels from the 100% recycled feedstock. Ionic Technologies produced neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) at 99.87% purity, dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3) at 99.56% purity, and terbium oxide (Tb4O7) at 99.75% purity.

The batch volumes—120 kg of neodymium oxide, 10 kg of dysprosium oxide, and 8 kg of terbium oxide—exceeded LCM’s minimum batch requirements.

The project provides evidence that rare earth oxides produced through this recycling method can enable a supply chain capable of delivering magnets equivalent to the existing mined supply chain.

Confirming a circular supply

Under the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy announced in November 2025, the UK targets sourcing 20% of its mineral needs through recycling by 2035, compared to current domestic mineral production, which accounts for 6% of its critical minerals needs.

The operation is not yet at a mass-production scale. Ionic Technologies is working toward a Final Investment Decision on an £85 million commercial plant at Queen’s Island in Belfast, which has received an offer in principle for a £12 million capital grant. Planned capacity is 400 metric tonnes of magnet rare earth oxides per year.

“While this is currently a testing project rather than mass production, it confirms that a circular supply chain for rare earth elements is a reality, offering a sustainable path forward without compromising vehicle performance,” concluded Witt.