Data table · Electric vehicles with NdFeB
Electric cars with permanent-magnet traction motors
The vehicle generation and axle configuration are critical. Empty mass fields mean that no reliable model-specific magnet mass was found.
10 Data rows
Sources reviewed as at 30/08/2026. Time-sensitive product, market and legal information should be checked directly against the source before a specific decision is made.
| Manufacturer | Model / generation | Model year | Axle(s) | Motor designation | Traction motor type | Permanent-magnet excitation? | NdFeB/magnet mass (kg) | Quantity basis | Magnet pieces | g per magnet | Source basis | Primary source | Evidence status | Note / data gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan | LEAF ZE0 | 2012 | Front | not stated | IPM with rare-earth/NdFeB magnets | yes | 1.895 | measured | — | — | DOE/ORNL Electric Motor R&D | Open source ↗ | A-M | 48 slots, 8 poles; absolute Nd/Dy/Tb masses not published. |
| Nissan | LEAF ZE1 | 2018 | Front | not stated | IPMSM | yes | — | not published | — | — | Nissan Sustainability Report 2018 | Open source ↗ | A-H | From 2017, approximately 70 % less heavy rare-earth content than the earlier version; no absolute mass. |
| BMW | i3 I01 | 2016 | Rear axle | not stated | NdFeB PM motor / PM-assisted reluctance | yes | 2 | measured | — | — | US DRIVE Roadmap, Appendix C | Open source ↗ | A-M | 125 kW; 14.2 kg rotor; one small and one large NdFeB magnet per pole. |
| Chevrolet | Bolt EV | 2017 | Front | 1ET25 / RPO MMF | two-layer V-IPMSM | yes | — | not published | — | — | GM/SAE 2016-01-1228 | Open source ↗ | A-H | Sintered NdFeB magnets documented; absolute mass not published. |
| Tesla | Model 3, rear drive unit | 2018 | Rear axle | Trim/motor code not reliably assigned | AC permanent-magnet synchronous motor | yes | 1.8 | teardown reported in a secondary source | — | — | Roush Technical Review in EPA dossier; originating from UBS Evidence Lab | Open source ↗ | C-R | 1.8 kg applies to a 2018 rear motor not assigned to a specific trim; it is not a blanket figure for every Model 3. |
| Tesla | Model 3 Dual Motor AWD, manual scope 2017–2023 | — | rear PM; front induction | 3D1/3D3/3D5 not reliably assigned by axle or year | Mixed architecture | yes, whole vehicle | — | Architecture documented; mass not reliably assigned to a specific variant | — | — | Tesla Owner's Manual | Open source ↗ | A-H | Do not include in the list of magnet-free vehicles; only the AWD front motor is an induction motor. |
| Volkswagen | ID.3, 150 kW | 2020 | Rear axle | APP310 | permanent-magnet synchronous motor | yes | 2.5 | teardown reported in a secondary source | — | — | Roush/EPA dossier; VW for motor type | Open source ↗ | C-R | UBS primary report not publicly available; VW confirms a 150-kW permanent-magnet synchronous motor. |
| Volkswagen | ID.4 Pro RWD | 2023 | Rear axle | not stated | PSM | yes | — | not published | — | — | Volkswagen USA model announcement | Open source ↗ | A-H | Magnet material and mass not published. |
| Jaguar | I-PACE | 2019 | front + rear | Jaguar-developed motors | 2 × PSM | yes | — | not published | — | — | Jaguar manufacturer information | Open source ↗ | A-H | Permanent-magnet excitation documented; NdFeB material not separately documented in public sources. |
| Porsche | Taycan 4S | 2020 | front + rear | not stated | 2 × PSM; NdFeB alloys | yes | — | not published | — | — | Porsche Newsroom | Open source ↗ | A-H | Use of NdFeB documented; mass, number of items and elemental proportions not reported. |