‘Virtual magnet’ claims reveal why EVs need their rare-earths

Why in the News?

A Bengaluru startup, Vimag Labs, has claimed to replace rare-earth permanent magnets in electric motors with software-controlled “virtual” magnets built from copper coils and electromagnets. The claim describes a decades-old electromagnet design rather than a genuine breakthrough, and that it does not resolve the efficiency, cost and rare-earth dependency problems facing India’s electric vehicle (EV) motor supply chain.

What is the startup actually claiming to have built?

1. The claim: Vimag Labs says it removes permanent magnets from a motor, replaces them with copper coils, and uses software to generate magnetic fields inside the motor.
2. What this technically is: Passing current through copper coils wound around a ferromagnet to temporarily create a magnetic field is an electromagnet, a design used in large hydroelectric, thermal and nuclear power plant generators for more than 135 years.
3. No novelty in the mechanism: The software in this design does not create magnetism; it only regulates how much current flows through the electromagnets, controlling the strength and direction of the existing magnetic field.

Why do permanent magnets remain more efficient than electromagnets in EV motors?

1. One-step versus multi-step process: A permanent magnet establishes a magnetic field in a single step with no additional electrical energy, while an electromagnet requires the field to be established and continuously modulated by software, consuming energy at every step.
2. Energy losses compound: Electromagnet-based motors face core losses in the ferromagnetic core, resistance losses in copper conductors, and switching and conduction losses in electronic switches, making them unlikely to match a permanent magnet motor’s efficiency.
3. Efficiency drives EV range: Every 0.1% increase in motor drive efficiency improves range for a given battery size, since the battery pack is the costliest and heaviest component of an EV, which is why permanent magnet synchronous motors dominate the EV market today.

What is India’s underlying rare-earth dependency problem that this claim does not solve?

1. No alternative has matched permanent magnets: BMW and Renault have tried electrically excited motors, and Tesla’s first Model S used an induction motor in 2012, but neither matched permanent magnet efficiency.
2. Other alternatives face their own limits: The switched reluctance motor (SRM), which uses neither permanent magnets nor copper coils in its rotor, avoids rare-earth dependency but suffers from noisier, less efficient, spurt-like torque delivery, an approach Honda and Hitachi Astemo are still trying to refine.
3. Conclusion of the constraint: Efficiency, starting torque capability and maximum achievable speed remain the constraints that have kept non-permanent-magnet motors out of mainstream EVs, meaning India’s EV motor supply chain still depends on rare-earth magnets regardless of this claim.

Conclusion

The Bengaluru startup’s “virtual magnet” is an established electromagnet design, not a new way to escape rare-earth dependency, since electromagnets remain less efficient than permanent magnets for the reasons physics has established for decades. India’s EV motor strategy must therefore continue to treat rare-earth and critical mineral access as a supply chain problem to be solved directly, rather than expect a software fix to remove the need for these magnets.

Back2Basics:

Rare Earth Elements (REEs)

1. What they are: Rare Earth Elements are a set of 17 metallic elements used in permanent magnets, electronics, and clean energy technologies, valued for their magnetic and conductive properties.
2. China’s dominance: China holds the largest share of global rare earth mining and processing capacity, giving it significant leverage over EV motor and electronics supply chains worldwide.
3. India’s response: India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to build a framework for self-reliance in critical minerals, including rare earths, reducing import dependency for strategic sectors such as EVs and electronics.

PYQ Relevance

[UPSC 2026] Which of the following statements about Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Critical Minerals is/are correct?

1. Modern technological innovations including Artificial Intelligence, robotics and space exploration extensively utilise Rare Earth Elements (REEs).

2. China has the highest share in mining of REEs followed by India.

3. The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self reliance in the critical mineral sector.

4. Rare Earth Elements are a set of 13 metallic elements.

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1, 3 and 4

(d) 1, 2 and 4″

Answer: (a)