Automotive aluminium in cars and CVs
The utility of aluminium in the auto and commercial vehicles sector is accelerating at a fast pace. It is credited to the wide spectrum of benefits associated with the composition of aluminium. Some of its properties such as lightweight, corrosion resistance, reflectivity, re-cyclability make it an excellent choice for the automotive industry. Aluminium helps to increase the performance of the vehicle, boost fuel efficiency and reduce emissions while maintaining or improving safety and durability. Consumption of aluminium by the automotive industry has grown continuously over the past 40 years, with the metal ranking only second to steel as the most used material in vehicles.
Aluminium finds its way in the auto industry across heat insulators to license plates, handles, pistons, valves compressors, gas cylinders, pump bodies, spark plugs, fuel tanks, bonnets, footboards, roof carriers, and in luggage racks among other areas that one said to have made it the material of choice. The increasing adoption of aluminium has further been validated by the Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited (IICRA) report. The study shows that the share of the automotive industry in aluminium consumption has steadily grown from 16 per cent to 25 per cent with the demand for the metal poised to only grow further.
What makes aluminium unique?
The properties of aluminium make it ideal for a variety of uses in the auto industry. Its benefits can be categorised into various aspects: Performance, Functional and Environmental. Speaking of performance benefits, aluminium has come to be preferred especially due to its lightweight and flexibility extended to automakers aiding in increasing the body’s dent resistance. It essentially means the body panels are like steel while offering a light-weight solution. Aluminium as a metal offers the dual benefits of rigidity and malleability. For instance, the rigidity of aluminium provides drivers with greater control whereas malleability enables designers to create desired shapes optimised for maximum performance. In addition to these benefits, a lightweight vehicle offers better acceleration, better braking, better handling and better fuel efficiency. Some of the other key functional benefits of aluminium include strength, conductivity, reflectivity and
corrosion resistance. Aluminium also enables weight savings by a significant per centage compared to traditional mild steel structures. Compared to other conventional metals, aluminium offers better shock-resistance and superior strength. Vehicles with lighter aluminium also help in the collisions avoidance owing too their stopping distances. Across the board, in weight, strength and safety, aluminium’s advantages are clear. In terms of environmental benefits, aluminium can be recycled with immense ease. Aluminium can empower the industry to move in the right direction; towards lowering carbon footprint while achieving cost efficiency. Aluminium intensive vehicles ensure both reduced energy consumption as well as fewer CO2 emissions.
Rise of aluminium extrusions and rolled products
With its diverse properties and benefits, various forms of aluminium have found their way into automotive parts. Aluminium extrusions have found their way into the form of extruded tubes, multihole profiles, door beams, bumpers, crash boxes, and side sills. These extrusions enable light-weighting of vehicles. Owing to the extreme malleability of aluminium, it can be extruded into any form and bent to give way to a lightweight designed vehicle. It is also emerging as a leading choice of metal form for transportation equipment. The aluminium flat-rolled products also have a wide range of applications in the auto industry like body panels, interior heat shields and the radiator. A Ducker worldwide report determined that the aluminium content in automobiles is set to increase by 30 per cent globally over the next decade driven mostly by extruded and flat-rolled products. This will open huge opportunities for secondary aluminium producers in the country.
KEY TRENDS Influencing aluminium consumption patterns
A significant shift in the consumption patterns of aluminium have been experienced over the years. The reasons for choosing aluminium increasingly over other metals have evolved with time. With the government focusing on faster adoption and manufacturing of EVs, original equipment manufacturers have realised the potential of aluminium as a metal that suffices the requirements of building such lightweight electric vehicles. Consumers now increasingly prefer modern, light-weight luxury vehicles that are efficient. Hence, car manufacturers are using different aluminium alloys to make cars and vehicles more aerodynamic and easy to work with. With a surge in an automatic transmission, aluminium is also being sought out by car manufacturers to make a seamless transition from the manual transmission systems.
The way forward
It is worth noting that automotive players are working towards converting the entire body of the vehicle to be made from aluminium. The shift towards lighter vehicles and a push to have cleaner, greener and better world, has encouraged auto manufacturers to adopt more sustainable alternatives like aluminium. The important material shift in the automotive industry is driving demand for aluminium which is now being called the ‘Metal of the Future’.