Ionic partners Ford and LCM on magnet recycling in the UK

Ford’s Halewood facility in the UK will require more than 600 tonnes per annum of magnet raw materials for its EVs.

September 12, 2023

onic Rare Earths’ UK unit, Ionic Technologies, has formed alliances with Ford Technologies and Less Common Metals (LCM) to build a rare earth supply chain from recycled magnets in the UK.

The company will also partner with the British Geological Survey to complete a feasibility study and supply chain analysis for the establishment of a magnet recycling facility in the country.

These programmes have secured support from the UK Government through grant funding.

Ionic has developed rare earth element separation and refining technology and is using it to recycle spent permanent neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets to create sustainable, traceable and sovereign rare earth supply chains.

One of the programmes will support Ford. The automaker’s EU production will come from its Halewood facility in the UK, where it plans to produce nearly half a million units annually by 2026.

More than 600 tonnes per annum (tpa) of magnet raw material is required to support the facility’s production.