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09-30-2020, 08:55 AM
Aluminum is gaining share in the vehicle market, despite its premium cost, due to performance advantages that are reflected in fuel efficiency and vehicle lifecycle which car buyers are finally beginning to appreciate. I spoke with Kevin Anton, Alcoa's former chief sustainability officer who is retiring from the company at year-end, and Kevin McKnight, the company's new vice president of environment, health, and safety (EHS), who succeeded Anton as CSO on September 1. They have provided much insight into the story of aluminum's growing role in the automotive business.
Transportation is responsible for 28 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in this country, second only to electricity generation. In an effort to reduce these emissions, the Obama administration passed new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards that require vehicles to average 54.5 mpg by the year 2025.
Automakers have determined that advances in powertrain technology alone, including hybrids, plug-ins, all-electrics, and fuel cells, cannot achieve this goal. This required a fresh look at how cars are constructed. The solution was to design cars that are lighter, while retaining the safety features, comfort and affordability of today's cars.
"Back in the '70s, the average American car contained approximately 100 pounds of aluminum," said Anton. "That number has grown to 350 pounds today and is projected to grow to 550 pounds by 2025."
It's worth noting that the average weight of cars dropped from about 4,000 pounds in 1975 to a low of roughly 3,000 pounds in 1987. It has been steadily climbing since then, a trend that automakers need to reverse.
"Aluminum first appeared in wheels, transmission casings, and water pumps, before moving into cylinder heads and suspension parts," said Anton. "A dramatic shift occurred when certain European carmakers, such as Audi and Jaguar began aggressively incorporating aluminum into the welded shell of the car that is referred to as the body in white."
This was done to improve fuel economy and performance. Today, the Tesla Model S, Range Rover, and Corvette feature aluminum bodies. Manufacturers have recently begun to use aluminum in car bodies of more conventional models, not only to meet federal fuel economy standards, but also in response to consumer concerns about rising fuel prices.
"According to market research, five years ago, people were not willing to pay extra for fuel economy, whereas today, it has become a major factor in the purchasing decision," said McKnight. "For the past several years, consumers are actually ahead of CAFE. A recent survey shows that 37 percent of buyers consider fuel economy their number one buying factor. For the OEMs, fuel economy has become a competitive advantage, which leads them to ask, 'How do we get weight out of the car?'"
This development has been good for Alcoa.
The lifecycle of aluminum. Credti: AZOM.com. The lifecycle of aluminum. Credti: AZOM.com.
"We are currently commissioning a $300 million expansion of our Davenport, Iowa, rolling mill, whose output is dedicated to the auto market. The plant's capacity, which will be in full production soon, was sold out the day we broke ground," said Anton. "We have broken ground on auto expansions at our joint venture project in Saudi Arabia and at our facility in Knoxville, Tennessee."
In some ways, you could say that Alcoa is in the right place at the right time. Aluminum prices have not come down, yet demand is growing due to the need for lighter cars. All of this appears to be culminating in what is called the Aluminum Intensive Vehicle (AIV). This car will contain an aluminum hood, forged wheels, radiator, inner doors, drift shaft, numerous fasteners, deck lid, outer body panels, and most of the inner body structure. The aluminum body sheet content is projected to increase by a factor of 10 between 2012 and 2025.
Information posted by the Aluminum Transportation Group describes a study comparing an aluminum-intensive Toyota Venza to a standard model. The baseline model contained 9 percent aluminum and 59 percent steel. The AIV version contained 37 percent aluminum and 30 percent steel, resulting in a 28 percent weight reduction. The AIV version saw an improvement in fuel economy from 27 to 31.8 mpg at a cost premium of $534.
This translates into 32 percent less embodied energy for the AIV than the standard model, despite the fact that aluminum takes four to five times as much energy to produce as steel.
As the car market moves towards aluminum, the industry has taken steps to meet demand. "Alcoa has done a lot of work at our research facility outside of Pittsburgh to facilitate the assembly of cars using more aluminum parts and to overcome what had at one time been a barrier to their use," said McKnight. "Generally speaking, aluminum is joined to itself or other materials through either welding, adhesive bonding, or the use of fasteners. Alcoa has done extensive research on all of these, developing a new patented pre-coat material for adhesive bonding between aluminum and other materials. We are also the world's largest supplier of high tech fasteners for aerospace, and we are now bringing some of that experience to bear in the auto industry. This allows people to use existing equipment for assembly. It also enables lower cost, better joining using proprietary technology.
"This work started long ago when we first developed the alloying technology that allowed aluminum to outperform steel in things like collapsibility, and energy absorption, providing excellent protection for the cab of a vehicle. It started with Audi on major technology advances that provided the facility to put more aluminum into automobiles. Now we're realizing the light-weighted value of that and expanding the use of aluminum across all aspects of the platform."
Alcoa is celebrating it 125th year of operations and is proud to point out that it supplied material to both the Ford Model T and the Wright Brothers.
"As for sustainability, yes, aluminum requires a great deal of electricity to smelt," said Anton. "But two-thirds of that energy for Alcoa's smelters worldwide comes from hydropower. Furthermore, aluminum is infinitely recyclable. Because its properties do not degrade when recycled, it is possible to reuse it very effectively. Only 5 percent new material needs to be added when aluminum is recycled. Even more impressive is the fact the 75 percent of all aluminum we've ever produced is still in circulation, though it may have taken numerous forms over time."
In response to the fact that aluminum production emits five times the amount of carbon as steel, Anton said, "While aluminum may require more energy in the production phase, it easily wins in the use phase and the end of life/recycling phase. So, when you look at the overall lifecycle analysis, it's clear that vehicles made with aluminum have a smaller footprint than comparable vehicles made primarily with steel."
Anton pointed out that an SAE paper written by proponents of magnesium substantiates that claim. The paper shows that in the long run, aluminum has the lowest footprint of the three metals, both for carbon and for energ
Transportation is responsible for 28 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in this country, second only to electricity generation. In an effort to reduce these emissions, the Obama administration passed new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards that require vehicles to average 54.5 mpg by the year 2025.
Automakers have determined that advances in powertrain technology alone, including hybrids, plug-ins, all-electrics, and fuel cells, cannot achieve this goal. This required a fresh look at how cars are constructed. The solution was to design cars that are lighter, while retaining the safety features, comfort and affordability of today's cars.
"Back in the '70s, the average American car contained approximately 100 pounds of aluminum," said Anton. "That number has grown to 350 pounds today and is projected to grow to 550 pounds by 2025."
It's worth noting that the average weight of cars dropped from about 4,000 pounds in 1975 to a low of roughly 3,000 pounds in 1987. It has been steadily climbing since then, a trend that automakers need to reverse.
"Aluminum first appeared in wheels, transmission casings, and water pumps, before moving into cylinder heads and suspension parts," said Anton. "A dramatic shift occurred when certain European carmakers, such as Audi and Jaguar began aggressively incorporating aluminum into the welded shell of the car that is referred to as the body in white."
This was done to improve fuel economy and performance. Today, the Tesla Model S, Range Rover, and Corvette feature aluminum bodies. Manufacturers have recently begun to use aluminum in car bodies of more conventional models, not only to meet federal fuel economy standards, but also in response to consumer concerns about rising fuel prices.
"According to market research, five years ago, people were not willing to pay extra for fuel economy, whereas today, it has become a major factor in the purchasing decision," said McKnight. "For the past several years, consumers are actually ahead of CAFE. A recent survey shows that 37 percent of buyers consider fuel economy their number one buying factor. For the OEMs, fuel economy has become a competitive advantage, which leads them to ask, 'How do we get weight out of the car?'"
This development has been good for Alcoa.
The lifecycle of aluminum. Credti: AZOM.com. The lifecycle of aluminum. Credti: AZOM.com.
"We are currently commissioning a $300 million expansion of our Davenport, Iowa, rolling mill, whose output is dedicated to the auto market. The plant's capacity, which will be in full production soon, was sold out the day we broke ground," said Anton. "We have broken ground on auto expansions at our joint venture project in Saudi Arabia and at our facility in Knoxville, Tennessee."
In some ways, you could say that Alcoa is in the right place at the right time. Aluminum prices have not come down, yet demand is growing due to the need for lighter cars. All of this appears to be culminating in what is called the Aluminum Intensive Vehicle (AIV). This car will contain an aluminum hood, forged wheels, radiator, inner doors, drift shaft, numerous fasteners, deck lid, outer body panels, and most of the inner body structure. The aluminum body sheet content is projected to increase by a factor of 10 between 2012 and 2025.
Information posted by the Aluminum Transportation Group describes a study comparing an aluminum-intensive Toyota Venza to a standard model. The baseline model contained 9 percent aluminum and 59 percent steel. The AIV version contained 37 percent aluminum and 30 percent steel, resulting in a 28 percent weight reduction. The AIV version saw an improvement in fuel economy from 27 to 31.8 mpg at a cost premium of $534.
This translates into 32 percent less embodied energy for the AIV than the standard model, despite the fact that aluminum takes four to five times as much energy to produce as steel.
As the car market moves towards aluminum, the industry has taken steps to meet demand. "Alcoa has done a lot of work at our research facility outside of Pittsburgh to facilitate the assembly of cars using more aluminum parts and to overcome what had at one time been a barrier to their use," said McKnight. "Generally speaking, aluminum is joined to itself or other materials through either welding, adhesive bonding, or the use of fasteners. Alcoa has done extensive research on all of these, developing a new patented pre-coat material for adhesive bonding between aluminum and other materials. We are also the world's largest supplier of high tech fasteners for aerospace, and we are now bringing some of that experience to bear in the auto industry. This allows people to use existing equipment for assembly. It also enables lower cost, better joining using proprietary technology.
"This work started long ago when we first developed the alloying technology that allowed aluminum to outperform steel in things like collapsibility, and energy absorption, providing excellent protection for the cab of a vehicle. It started with Audi on major technology advances that provided the facility to put more aluminum into automobiles. Now we're realizing the light-weighted value of that and expanding the use of aluminum across all aspects of the platform."
Alcoa is celebrating it 125th year of operations and is proud to point out that it supplied material to both the Ford Model T and the Wright Brothers.
"As for sustainability, yes, aluminum requires a great deal of electricity to smelt," said Anton. "But two-thirds of that energy for Alcoa's smelters worldwide comes from hydropower. Furthermore, aluminum is infinitely recyclable. Because its properties do not degrade when recycled, it is possible to reuse it very effectively. Only 5 percent new material needs to be added when aluminum is recycled. Even more impressive is the fact the 75 percent of all aluminum we've ever produced is still in circulation, though it may have taken numerous forms over time."
In response to the fact that aluminum production emits five times the amount of carbon as steel, Anton said, "While aluminum may require more energy in the production phase, it easily wins in the use phase and the end of life/recycling phase. So, when you look at the overall lifecycle analysis, it's clear that vehicles made with aluminum have a smaller footprint than comparable vehicles made primarily with steel."
Anton pointed out that an SAE paper written by proponents of magnesium substantiates that claim. The paper shows that in the long run, aluminum has the lowest footprint of the three metals, both for carbon and for energ