Ford Motor Company is cutting its consumption of rare earths, used in nickel-metal-hydride batteries in its hybrid electric cars, by 500,000lbs (227,000kg) per year in favour of more cost-effective lithium-ion batteries.
The cars that will be made with the new batteries include the Fusion Hybrid and C-Max Hybrid, Ford’s new third generation electric vehicle models which the company unveiled last week.
The lithium-ion batteries, which are 50% lighter and 25% smaller than the nickel-metal-hydride batteries, are already being manufactured in Ford factories, according to Chuck Gray, chief engineer for hybrid and electric vehicles.
"We're continually looking to find...