Niobium, the “Wild Card” for the Future Industry, with Lighter Cars, Lower Fuel Consumption in Combustion Engines, and Ultra-Fast Charging in Electric Vehicles. All of This Is Possible with the Presence of This Metal So Abundant in Brazil.

The Presence of Niobium in Steel That Composes Vehicle Structures Makes Them Ultra-Resistant, With Greater Lifespan and Lighter Weight

Countries around the world are seeking greater sustainability, and consequently, the automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation, with an increasing demand for less polluting vehicles. Niobium, a mineral so abundant in Brazil, plays a direct role in this transition, as the presence of niobium in the steel that composes the car’s structure provides more material strength, as well as reducing weight and lowering raw material consumption. Consequently, it decreases fuel consumption (in combustion engine vehicles) and energy consumption (in electric vehicles), making it a “wild card” for companies in the sector.

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Brazil is a pioneer in the scientific and technological development surrounding niobium, also leading in another area: the electrification of vehicles. “By producing a thinner structure, the vehicle becomes lighter. Being lighter, it will require less energy to move. The effect is direct: I will have lower fuel consumption, whatever it may be. There are a number of other implications: lower raw material consumption, for example. This facilitates logistical aspects, and also has a smaller environmental impact because I will produce less of that material. Therefore, it benefits the entire chain. We can say that niobium is indeed a wild card,” says Thompson Reis, research, development, and innovation coordinator at CIT (Center for Innovation and Technology) of Senai-FIEMG (Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais).

Niobium Is Capable of Fully Recharging an Electric Car’s Battery in Less Than Ten Minutes

CBMM has been exploring the potential of niobium with partners around the world for the generation of lithium-ion batteries, which are safer, charge ultrafast, and have greater stability, as the metal plays an important role in battery efficiency, making it possible to fully recharge in less than ten minutes. The expectation is that they will be commercially available starting in 2023.

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“Another advantage of niobium is that it can be used as a stabilization additive. Battery technologies around the world are moving towards higher nickel content. This is very good from the perspectives of cost, energy, and range (your car will travel longer distances), but battery safety becomes compromised. When you add a little niobium to the composition, it stabilizes those structures. Thus, niobium not only brings ultrafast batteries to the market but also enables high-nickel technology,” said Rogério Ribas, battery segment manager at CBMM.

The effects of these partnerships benefit not only the automotive industry: niobium batteries are present in scooters, bicycles, and electric tricycles in Asian countries. In other words, micromobility is also recognizing the advantages of niobium.

Additionally, niobium helps increase the operational lifespan of batteries in cars. For example, a conventional battery lasts up to 2,000 cycles — or 2,000 full charges. Batteries that utilize niobium last up to 10,000 cycles. To illustrate, there is already demand for the repurposing of these devices by the energy sector, for example.

The Presence of Niobium in Steel That Composes Vehicle Structures Makes Them Ultra-Resistant, With Greater Lifespan, Lighter Weight, and Consequently, Vehicles with Combustion Engines Consume Less Fuel

CBMM has also partnered with Giaffone Racing, where motorsport also gains a place in the niobium revolution, as the presence of niobium in the steel that composes the structures of vehicles used in off-road competitions makes the structures ultra-resistant, making the vehicles up to 10% lighter than others in the category, allowing them to achieve greater speeds in less time, and consequently consume less fuel and have components with greater lifespan.

The prime example of this is the Exo Nb — a Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) produced in Brazil using niobium technology in its hybrid version (electric motor and ethanol-powered), which will represent the niobium revolution in the largest rally in the Americas, the Sertões 2021, to be held from August 12 to 22, starting at Pipa beach in Rio Grande do Norte.

Research on competition vehicles has led, for example, to the development of niobium-containing brake discs for use in passenger cars. Tests are promising, according to experts, but it will still take time to achieve effective results because the cars circulating on the streets have characteristics that are quite different from those used in races. In other words, the material’s structure needs to be different.

“Why did we choose to be in motorsport, to present niobium solutions in motorsport? Because it’s an extremely aggressive environment, it’s an environment outside of conventional use. So we can validate a concept in a competition setting like the Sertões or Stock Car. I leave it to the designer the possibility of improvements regarding weight, and we test that in an aggressive environment. The response is quick,” explained Erico França, market development analyst at CBMM. “Brake discs, exhaust systems, solid suspension bars, steering bars — in all of these, we can offer some solution containing niobium.”

The Participation of This Abundant Metal in Brazil in Technologies Generates Direct and Indirect Reflections in People’s Lives

All these transformations being promoted by the industry — which have an important role played by niobium technologies — reflect directly and indirectly in people’s lives. Whether because new demands will arise, or because air pollution and noise will considerably decrease over the years.

The technological resources for a transition to more sustainable means are available and advancing every day, as the niobium revolution shows us. While we witness the growth of hybrid or fully electric vehicles, the industry is already planning the next steps.

This future will inevitably lead us to autonomous vehicles, which will be fascinating, not only for eliminating the need for human control but also because, by then, we will have an even safer and lighter structure, through steel with added niobium, and even better batteries that will provide power and autonomy to more powerful electric motors. This shows that the niobium revolution has only just begun, and it will not end.

by – JP