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Governments
all over the world are imposing tougher emissions standards as an
important step in the fight against global warming, forcing car
manufacturers to make cleaner vehicles and imposing fines for those
who fail to meet the new regulations. Faced with challenging
deadlines to reduce carbon emissions, automakers are increasingly
trying to find new ways for cutting vehicle weight, as one of the
most important factors contributing to fuel consumption and
consequently, greenhouse gas emissions.
With
car makers trying to save weight, they use innovative materials in
the manufacturing process, increasingly replacing steel - which has
been the dominant material in car production for decades - with
materials like aluminum and carbon fiber, since they are much lighter
and can have an immediate impact on a car's emission levels. But,
both of these alternatives are way more expensive than steel, which
is why automakers have only been using them for a small number of parts so far, as making entire cars out of aluminum or carbon fiber
would not be economically viable.
However,
while carbon fiber continues to be used exclusively by high-end
automakers due to its high price, aluminum has become significantly
cheaper over the past couple of years, leading to a growing use in
the auto industry, threatening steel's dominant position. The
aluminum industry has made some great strides in its efforts to
become a serious competitor to steel manufacturers, with aluminum
slowly, but surely, finding its way into more and more vehicles. At
the moment, several large automakers are using aluminum extensively,
including Tesla, Audi, and GM, in addition to Ford, which made a
great breakthrough with the introduction of the F-150 pick up truck,
featuring a body made largely out of aluminum. Ford was able to cut
700 pounds of the truck's weight by switching from steel to aluminum
for its body panels.
Although
incorporating aluminum components in vehicles raises purchase price,
it can reduce ownership costs in the long-term, since aluminum parts
are touted as pretty strong and durable, eliminating the need for
frequent repairs or purchasing replacement parts.
What's
more, the fact that aluminum is far more recyclable than steel makes
it that much more eco-friendly, even though the production process
generates more carbon emissions. According to the Aluminum Association, almost 75% of all aluminum produced since the late 19th
century is still in use today. On the other hand, steel manufacturers
are understandably not ready to give up on the auto industry, and are
developing new types of steel that is lighter and stronger, but still
more affordable than aluminum. High-strength steel has been gaining
in popularity lately, with a few car companies, including Volkswagen
and Honda, using it to make vehicle body structures and frames, and
it can reduce vehicle weight drastically, but this material in still
in sort of a developing phase and is not that much less expensive
than aluminum.
In
any case, steel's dominance in the auto industry is under a serious
threat by aluminum, and steel makers need to be more aggressive and
find ways for producing more lightweight, more affordable types of
steel, given the solid arguments that it has in its favor, in terms
of the potential to cut vehicle weight and reduce vehicle emissions.
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