New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- India is fast-tracking efforts to develop electric vehicle (EV) motors that do not rely on rare earth magnets, as China's export restrictions threaten to disrupt supply chains.

At a laboratory in Faridabad, engineers at Sterling Gtake E-Mobility are testing advanced reluctance motors that replace rare-earth materials with tightly wound metal coils.

Seven leading automakers in India are currently evaluating these magnet-free motors. If successful, commercial rollout could begin within a year-well ahead of the earlier 2029 timeline.

In June, Sterling signed a licensing agreement with UK-based Advanced Electric Machines to bring this technology into domestic production.

China, which controls over 90% of global rare ...