At present, there are several aluminum intensive trucks and cars on the road with a lot more expected to come in the future. Greater use of aluminum, a high strength and low weight material, offers automakers and consumers with vehicles that are safe, high performing, durable, efficient and economical. In addition, the material uses less fuel or power to operate, and generate fewer emissions. Thus, it helps auto manufacturers to meet the stricter federal regulations, as well as save consumers’ money.
Cars manufactured by Jaguar, Audi and Tesla and durable SUVs, such as Land Rover, are aluminum intensive. There are also a variety of passenger cars running on the road that contain over 500 pounds of aluminum. The benefits offered by aluminum are as follows:
Aluminum possesses the lowest carbon footprint and is recyclable. Matching innovative aluminum designs with enhanced powertrains reduces vehicle weight to save fuel or battery power.
The material is used in the U.S. military for tactical trucks and troop carriers (HUMVEE) to resist harsh environments. As aluminum is rust-resistant, it is highly used in rugged SUVs.
Another important feature of aluminum is its highly crash absorbent property. During a crash, the material allows a vehicle to absorb higher rate of crash energy. Aluminum has an ability to absorb crash energy two times greater than steel and additionally, it provides greater weight reduction by retaining strength.
It improves performance by creating lightweight vehicles with higher structural stiffness, thus allowing the vehicle to speed up rapidly while offering better response and stability compared to other vehicles.
Aluminum also helps in reducing costs through design flexibility, structural performance, fuel savings and weight reduction.
Source: 国际交通用铝协会
