Electric motors and drives: Relationships
Every element and industry that Electric motors and drives is linked to, and how. Each pair has its own card explaining the relationships between the two.
- Steel: Every electric motor's magnetic core is a stack of thin non-oriented electrical steel, and the quality of that steel sets a large part of the motor's energy losses. It is a specialised grade made by few mills, so its supply and price follow their own cycle rather than the general steel market. (researched)
- Vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft: Electric vehicles move on traction motors, and most of those motors use rare-earth permanent magnets made almost entirely in China, so the motor is where the vehicle industry's exposure to magnet supply sits, as 2025's export curbs showed. (researched)
- Water and sanitation: Water and sewage services are mostly a matter of moving water uphill and through pipes, so motor-driven pumps and blowers use most of a utility's electricity, and efficient motors and drives are the main lever on its energy bill. (researched)
- Copper: Motors are one of copper's biggest uses, because their stator windings, and in some designs the rotor, are copper; tighter efficiency classes such as IE3 cut resistive losses largely by adding active material, so efficiency rules raise copper use per motor. (researched)
- Transformers and power electronics: Energy flows from transformers and power electronics to electric motors and drives; their prices have moved together.
- Building materials: Building materials depends on electric motors and drives.
- Compressed-air and CO2 storage: Their prices have moved together.
- Computers and electronics: Computers and electronics depends on electric motors and drives.
- Distribution grids, mini-grids and interconnectors: Energy flows from distribution grids, mini-grids and interconnectors to electric motors and drives.
- Electric and hybrid vehicles: Energy flows from electric motors and drives to electric and hybrid vehicles.
- Electrical equipment: Electrical equipment depends on electric motors and drives.
- Energy in buildings: Energy flows from electric motors and drives to energy in buildings.
- Energy in farming: Energy flows from electric motors and drives to energy in farming.
- Energy-intensive industry: Energy flows from electric motors and drives to energy-intensive industry.
- Epoxy resins: Their prices have moved together.
- Food and beverage processing: Food and beverage processing depends on electric motors and drives.
- Machinery and equipment: Machinery and equipment depends on electric motors and drives.
- Mechanical power transmission: Their prices have moved together.
- Metal products: Metal products depends on electric motors and drives.
- Plastic and rubber products: Plastic and rubber products depends on electric motors and drives.
- Rail traction: Energy flows from electric motors and drives to rail traction.
- Rare earths: Electric motors and drives needs rare earths.
- Regenerative braking and motion recovery: Energy flows from electric motors and drives to regenerative braking and motion recovery.
- Ship propulsion: Energy flows from electric motors and drives to ship propulsion.
- Textiles and leather: Textiles and leather depends on electric motors and drives.
- Waste and recycling: Waste and recycling depends on electric motors and drives.
- Wood products: Wood products depends on electric motors and drives.