Rare earth magnets are the invisible engines behind EVs, smartphones, and satellites, and now, they’re at the center of a global supply chain crisis. With China tightening exports and India’s EV industry hanging in the balance, one tiny magnet is not just steering the future of automobiles but rewriting geopolitics.The future of electric vehicles may not depend on batteries or mileage. But on rare earth magnets. These tiny but powerful components, especially Neodymium magnets, are essential to synchronous motors used in EVs. But there’s a problem: China controls over 90% of global magnet production, and delayed exports are shaking up the EV supply chain worldwide.In this Episode 6 of Which Car Should I buy, Siddharth Vinayak Patankar is breaking down: What rare earth magnets are, and how they power electric carsWhy India’s EV industry is under pressure as import requests go unansweredWhat critical raw materials have to do with national security?How companies like IREL, TVS Motor, and Bosch India are responding?What India’s ₹5,000 crore push to localize magnet production means for the future?The rise of rare-earth-free motors, and why IITs are joining the R&D raceFrom EV crisis to geopolitical moves, this is the full story of how one of the smallest components is causing one of the biggest disruptions in clean tech. The rare earth magnet crisis can affect electric car production in India such for popular cars like the Tata Nexon EV, Tata Harrier EV, MG Windsor, Mahindra BE 6 and electric scooters such as the Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, Ather Rizta and more.