Renault bets on magnet-free EV motors to break China's rare-earth grip

Renault Group is doubling down on electrically excited synchronous motors (EESM), a design that replaces the permanent magnets found in roughly 90% of EV motors with a wound rotor — eliminating rare-earth elements entirely. The company has been mass-producing this technology since 2012, starting with the Zoe, and now ships second-generation EESM units in the Megane E-Tech, Scenic E-Tech, Renault 5 and 4, and Alpine models, all built at its Cléon plant in France.

The strategic logic is supply-chain independence. China refines about 85% of the world’s light rare earths and effectively all heavy rare earths, and increasingly reserves that output for its own magnet and EV industries rather than exporting raw material. By avoiding magnets, Renault sidesteps a chokepoint that most competitors remain exposed to — a hedge that has grown more valuable as Beijing tightens export controls and prioritizes domestic manufacturers.

A third-generation motor, the E7A, is slated for 2027: 200 kW of output and 400 Nm of torque in a package 30% smaller than its predecessor, with a 30% lower carbon footprint and roughly 92% efficiency. It will also move Renault’s architecture from 400 to 800 volts, enabling faster charging. The tradeoff with EESM has historically been size and complexity versus magnet-based designs, but Renault’s spec targets suggest the gap is closing.