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Catalytic converters contain much less common materials than anything in the battery or motor of EVs. This idea EVs are harder to make than ICE cars is nothing but FUD.

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I think you're getting downvoted because the quantities of rare earth metal required for these two things are vastly different. Some quick googling shows that a catalytic converter for a car contains 1-2g of platinum, while an EV uses 8kg of cobalt. So while platinum is more rare, you only need a tiny amount for each vehicle.

Cobalt is not a rare-earth though. Neither is platinum. Also LFP batteries - something e.g. China went all in on require no cobalt whatsoever.

NiMH batteries in old hybrids used Lanthanum and BLDC motors use Neodymium, but the former was never used in mass-produced EVs and the latter can be supplanted by either AC induction motors (like in early Teslas) or, more recently, switched reluctance motors.

Totally agree that it is just something being thrown around to little benefit. That said don't compare catalytic converter materials to what they are talking about in EVs. The quantities needed are orders of magnitude different. The easier thing to talk about that gets glossed over is all of the energy expended to extract fossil fuels in the first place.

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