Niocorp Developments Ltd (NB)

[AlwaysOptimistic]

bcomaha, I think it is too early to draw a conclusion that Stellantis would not pursue an off take agreement with NioCorp for REE's as the article enclosed cast doubts on the efficacy of producing an "economical magnet free of rare earths that is strong and tough enough for EV propulsion."

https://spectrum.ieee.org/permanent-magnet-motor

"That was how the media reported it on 8 November, after GM Ventures, Stellantis Ventures, and several other investors disclosed a US $33 million infusion into Niron’s iron-nitride magnet. At the same time, GM and Niron announced that they had agreed to form a strategic partnership to codevelop rare-earth-free permanent magnets “that can be used in future GM EVs.”

However, many experts in magnetics are doubtful. They question whether it’s possible to mass-manufacture an economical magnet free of rare earths that is strong and tough enough for EV propulsion.

“There’s a compound there,” says Alexander Gabay, a researcher at the University of Delaware, referring to the iron nitride in the magnets being developed by Niron. But “it’s not intrinsically capable of making a good magnet. It’s that simple. This is well-known in the community.”

https://spectrum.ieee.org/permanent-magnet-motor