Sumitomo: Dr. Itoshi Yamamato
Interviwer: Josh Landess, On Behalf Of Evworld.com
Re: Neomax-Based Magnets For Use in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
(Posted July 6, 2004)
Josh: What is the value of this product to electric vehicles?
Dr. Yamamato: ..... Hybrid Electric Vehicles [...] need some motors and generators. This is a combined hybrid you see, and we are concerned for these portions because generator motors are necessary for the hybrid vehicles. In the motors and generators, some people they just use no magnet -- just winding only . But what is going on in Japan is that most major motor producers, automotive producers, are using permanent magnets, which is our material.
Josh: It has to be rare earth or it can be something else?
Dr. Yamamato: Definitely (Inaudible) Neodymium. We are here because Japan is very advanced in hybrid electric vehicles; it’s (Inaudible) the very first one, and we are very in advance for operating with automobile. And they are focused on our material, which is very high performance, very high maximum energy. We have overall more than two hundred patents.
Josh: What is the name of the material?
Other Sumitomo Representative: It has a trade name of 'Neomax'.
Josh: Neomax? ... Which rare earth material is in the Neomax?
Other Sumitomo Representative: The actual chemical composition is Neodymium, Iron and Boron.
Josh: And what is the advantage exactly of this particular rare earth permanent magnet over the traditional wound electro-magnets?
Dr. Yamamato: For [better] motor performance.
[Summary of a discussion of a graph of efficiency: I came away from the discussion with a general idea that the Neomax-based efficiency numbers were in the 90-95% range, while a product using a lesser competitor would be less efficient. However the graphs were somewhat more complex than a simple two-number-comparison, incorporating other factors, and I would not wish to misrepresent the data given in the discussion. I do not have a digital picture of the graphs. Dr. Yamamato summarized that conventional “winding” ways of making motors are sometimes called “Induction” or “Winding” or “Inductance” Motors.
Josh: When you say 'efficiency' you mean, efficiency of transfer of energy or torque or....?
Dr. Yamamato: Efficiency ...if you input power, one hundred [percent], then how much you can get output for the torque.
Josh: Power transfer efficiency?
Dr. Yamamato: Yes. Mechanical transfer to performance.
Josh: ... It almost sounds like a transmission issue.
Dr. Yamamato: Yes, ... transmission from electrical energy to kinetic energy.
Josh: So this would also apply, for example, in a hybrid, if you were using an engine as a generator?
Dr. Yamamato: You can use generator. This is vise-versa. If you use it as a generator, it can input kinetic energy, one hundred [percent] and you can get output electric energy output which is ninety or ninety-five percent.
Josh: If you use your product.
Dr. Yamamato: Using our material.
Josh: But if you use somebody else’s product then the efficiency is not as high?
Dr. Yamamato: No, well below this one.
Josh: Okay, thank you for explaining.