Ford Motors is coming out with a range of "electrified" cars this year, ones that have either hybrid, or plug-in hybrid or all electric drive trains. The cars have high fuel efficiency, but they also reduce use of rare earth metals. Ford's new electrified vehicles, such as the 47-mpg Ford Fusion Hybrid and EPA-certified 47-mpg C-MAX Hybrid feature lighter, more efficient, more powerful lithium-ion batteries that are expected to reduce Ford's use of expensive, rare earth metals by up to 500,000 pounds annually, while improving Ford's fleet fuel efficiency.
Rare earth metals are in short supply around the world, and as in so many things China has developed a dominant position in rare earth metal supply. Many have worried that widespread adoption of high technology electrified vehicles would switch us from a dependency on foreign oil, to a dependency on foreign rare earth metals. The effort by Ford to reduce rare earth metal consumption in the company's electrified cars should help allay those fears.