AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
ALUMINIUM DEMAND
MADC
GROWING ALUMINIUM DEMAND FORECASTS THE
FUTURE METAL REQUIREMENTS OF EVS AND HYBRIDS
For anyone keeping pace with the automotive
sector - or general news for that matter – it's
easy to predict the future. Electrification is
here to stay, with sales of full EVs and hybrids
growing exponentially year on year.
This revolution has forced OEMs to
create entirely new vehicle platforms to
accommodate new, innovative powertrains
- resulting in mass redesigns across all of
the major brands. This focus on delivering
optimised platforms for future dynasties
of electric vehicles is bringing aluminium
components to the fore, and of course, the
Tier 1 suppliers such as Mark Aluminium Die
Casting (MADC) who provide them.
The aluminium industry is experiencing a
growth in demand from the world's major
car manufacturers. According to Aluminium
Insider, in 2018 OEMs were utilising an
average of 250 kg of aluminium per EV
vehicle, totalling an overall 250,000 tons
usage throughout the year. EVs are forecast
to reach a 30% market share by 2030,
which translates to a projected demand
for aluminium up to 10 million tons from
car manufacturers that year. 1 CRU Group
estimates that hybrid and electric vehicles
incorporate 25-25% more aluminium in
designs that traditional internal combustion
engine cars. 2 Aluminium is displacing
steel as the metal of choice in electric car
manufacture.
So, what are the key benefits of aluminium
that are pushing this growing demand?
A key concern for designers of new hybrid or
EV vehicles is lightweighting. A lightweight
design offers inherent benefits because it
helps to offset the mass of the batteries and
the powertrain of the vehicle. A reduced
weight means less power is required to
deliver performance, offering downsizing
opportunities, while overall range between
charges is also increased. Making an
electrified design more lightweight delivers
a cycle of benefits that improve overall
usability and efficiency – a key concern for
widespread public adoption. Roughly, the
density of aluminium is half that of steel, so
by utilising aluminium body panels, floor
plans, sub frames, heat sinks, water pumps
and oil pumps, OEM's can deliver substantial
weight savings.
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Aluminium offers a host of other benefits.
OEMs are reporting that aluminium can
deliver twice the energy absorption of
steel in a crash situation, improving safety
characteristics.3 As battery technology
advances, aluminium is being brought to the
fore in new designs. Aluminium enclosures
for EV batteries are being introduced to
market4, while scientists are now developing
highly efficient aluminium based air flow
battery technologies for eventual widespread
introduction. Everywhere you look in the
hybrid and EV sector, aluminium is the one
commodity everyone wants.
What does this mean for Tier suppliers then?
Fundamentally, aluminium's growth is an
opportunity that Tier suppliers cannot
afford to miss. It's one that has been seized
by Colwyn Bay based MADC, which has
been providing aluminium die cast water
pumps and oil pumps to support the latest
generation of hybrid vehicles reaching the
market. To support EV's, the business casts
thousands of heat sinks for OEMs, which aid
in dissipating the thermal energy produced
by the electric power train. Over the past
few years, the business has had to adapt to
a changing automotive landscape, a process
that all suppliers will have to undertake,
following the path of their OEM customers.
David Lewis, Plant Manager at MADC, was
approached for comment: "Whichever way
you interpret the automotive sector at the
moment, supply of aluminium components is
only going to grow.
Ultimately, it falls to businesses, such as
ourselves, to provide the increased casting
capacity and speed of delivery to ensure this
growth in demand is handled smoothly. For
both OEM and Tier suppliers, aluminium is
becoming a top priority, and will remain so for
the foreseeable future."
Tel: (0)1492 544201
Web: www.madc.eu
Email: [email protected]