Aluminum Driving Innovation, Accelerating Transition to EVs

The transition to electrified mobility—not only in the U.S., but across the world—is the greatest sectoral shift of our generation and a crucial step in decarbonizing human mobility.

The aluminum industry has long prioritized sustainability, and the central role the metal plays in battery electric vehicles is well known. Aluminum allows transportation, no matter the form and no matter the power source, to go farther with less fuel.

The Aluminum Association is committed to actively aiding this transformation. For decades, companies across the value chain have invested in improving manufacturing processes to deliver the most advanced aluminum components to help automakers and suppliers make the safest, best performing and efficient vehicles.

Each industry experiences disruptions, course corrections and major shifts, which is why the U.S. aluminum industry is committed to supporting automakers in this changing landscape through our market analysis, technology roadmap and ongoing education to equip engineers for success with aluminum. We intend to provide the forethought and groundwork for the industry, and we see a bright future for American mobility.

The best-laid plans need the latest data and information to make informed decisions. The tri-annual North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content and Outlook conducted by Ducker Carlisle on behalf of the association’s Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG) offers insights into market trends, and material adoption benchmarks and projections down to the last machine screw. This survey of automakers and Tier 1 suppliers helps inform ATG members of where to focus, where aluminum is strong, where it can improve and how to better help automakers deliver even better vehicles. Market surveys like the 2023 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content and Outlook, in conjunction with one-on-one meetings with automakers, ensure the ATG has a clear picture of the current state of the industry and where it’s headed.

The 2023 study confirms aluminum use in new electric vehicles will continue to grow through the end of the decade, largely fueled by demand for more sustainable transportation, increasing aluminum content by nearly 100 net pounds per vehicle (PPV) from 2020 to 2030. This, coupled with tightening fuel economy standards and the transition to electrification, makes aluminum poised for continued growth through the end of the decade as EV sales volumes grow.

Aluminum use in automotive applications has exponentially risen in the last 20+ years and is still the fastest-growing material as automakers turn to the infinitely recyclable, high-strength material capable of reducing vehicle weight and emissions while improving performance and safety.

The greatest power an association has is its ability to convene the industry. And that’s exactly what the ATG continues to do, gathering stakeholders from across the automotive industry to define where we stand, what our goals are and the action pathways to achieve those goals. The culmination of these efforts is the foundation of the Roadmap for Automotive Aluminum, a blueprint for the next decade of industry innovation outlining the aluminum industry’s commitment to:

The goals outlined in the Roadmap are ambitious and far-reaching, impacting all segments of the aluminum value chain and greater coordination between all industry stakeholders is foundational to achieving these goals.

Now that we’ve identified the industry’s goals and action pathways, and defogged the lens looking around the next bend, we arrive at another key junction, education.

To quote industry pioneer Laurent Chappuis, “aluminum isn’t alien, it’s just different.” Each material requires different manufacturing and design considerations, and the same goes for aluminum. So, to ensure that automakers are getting the most out of the materials they put into their vehicles, the ATG offers technical resources and training to help answer the question “is aluminum right for X application, and if so, how do we get the best result?”

The ATG offers a wide range of resources and training opportunities from an introduction to aluminum basics to more advanced topics like Laurent Chappuis’ follow on white papers to the 2022 Automotive Body Sheet Formability and Stamping Webinar. The first paper, Aluminum Galling and Lubrication for Automotive Applications, summarizes why modern stamping lubricants are a necessity and must be fully integrated into the whole manufacturing process, from blanking through assembly and paint. The second paper, Processing for Aluminum Auto Body Sheet, summarizes the key processing differences between aluminum and steel sheet using the same door opening panel (DOP) to illustrate all the issues faced by the major skin panels.

Industry evolves as technology advances. With outside factors driving both almost simultaneously, there will always be a need for this education and coordination. As technology changes, so does the next-generation product/vehicle design, factory tooling and processes. These educational opportunities provide new and seasoned engineers with the knowledge to succeed with our miracle metal, introducing and refreshing the data banks.

Since 2021, Aluminum Association member companies have announced nearly $6 billion in domestic manufacturing operations ($9 billion over the last decade) – including new, U.S.-based greenfield facilities for the first time since the 1980s – to meet growing demand in major markets like automotive. As aluminum use continues to grow, so too must the coordination between all major industry stakeholders from OEMs, metal producers, suppliers and recyclers. The key areas covered above are how the aluminum industry is working to meet long-term demand while supporting automakers as they work to reduce carbon emissions.

The aluminum industry will continue to be part of the modern mobility movement, mapping and educating to further solidify that aluminum helps build a better vehicle.

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