> Induction motors can be used instead

Most of the automotive industry uses Electrically Excited Synchronous Motors (EESMs) as an alternative to NdFeB magnet motors not induction motors, but they have's taken off yet because investment in mass scale production only began 1-2 years ago.

This will change over the next 2-3 years because BMW, JLR/Tata, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Renault Group have begun moving to EESMs. EU OEMs who have a major foothold in the EESM market like Valeo are lobbying 80% EU indigenization for automotive parts in the EU [0], and India is also started a fairly large industrial subsidy to mass produce EESM powertrains [1] and a number of the players like Sterling Gtake have gotten tech transfers from European vendors like AEM that started off as NatSec funded applications [2]. That said, I also haven't seen a same push for a domestic EESM supply chain in the US unlike the EU and India - GM vendor Niron Magnetics [2] is the only American manufacturer I know trying to manufacture EESMs domestically.

That said, for a number of brownfield military applications, the migration away from NdFeB magnets cannot occur without essentially rendering entire product lines inoperable and unrepairable. This is why NiB magnet chains are viewed as extremely critical.

[0] - https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/valeo-...

[1] - https://www.reuters.com/world/china/india-revs-up-alternate-...

[1] - https://www.ncl.ac.uk/business-and-partnerships/case-studies...

[2] - https://www.nironmagnetics.com/

Sounds like a development of the slip ring synchronous motor (same thing mechanically as a car alternator) but with inductive power delivery to the rotor instead of slip rings. Quite cool if they can make it work! Basic slip ring motors would also work in EVs (though not as nicely).