Automakers Add Aluminum to Increase Fuel Economy

< Michigan Accident Victims Can Now Recover More from At-Fault Drivers for Property Damage

Have a safe weekend >

June 14th, 2012 at 11:01 am

As the entire car driving world becomes more fuel economy conscious, automakers are gearing their sights on creating the best fuel efficient cars the world has yet to see. How? Aluminum.

As Alcoa's Director of Automotive Marketing announced on Wednesday, with the increases standards of fuel efficiency rising every market is having to take notice and action, “we have every car maker calling us, wanting to increase their aluminum content, wanting to start new R&D (research and development) projects about how they can convert bodies from steel to aluminum, wanting to convert hoods and doors steel to aluminum,” (Aluminum car doors, frames: Industry's “next frontier': Alcoa, Chris Kelly, Reuters,

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/13/us-aluminum-alcoa-auto-idUSBRE85C1KW20120613).

Aluminum is a lighter metal which will increase the fuel efficiency of any car which is why auto makers are turning to increase content of it in their new models. President Obama increased the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard to 35.5 miles per gallon for 2016, and a target of 54.5 miles per gallon for 2025. At first these standards were met with scoff from automakers, but now they're viewing manufacturing in a different light. Money won't be lost as “in the move to 54.5 mpg, the consumer is going to have to pay for a lot of things…turbo chargers cost money, direct injections costs money, 8-speed transmissions cost money, and the aluminum will cost money, so what the automakers are doing is making this trade-off of what's the best bang for their buck in inventing to improve fuel economy,” (Aluminum car doors, frames: Industry's “next frontier': Alcoa, Chris Kelly, Reuters).

As aluminum becomes the material of the future, plastics and titanium will become less proponent. As it stands now plastics and titanium “are not compatible with the existing manufacturing infrastructure, too expensive, not recyclable, do not perform well in a crash and manufacturing cycle time is too long,” (Aluminum car doors, frames: Industry's “next frontier': Alcoa, Chris Kelly, Reuters).

In the long run as cars themselves become “greener” with the materials they are comprised of consumers will hit the gas pump less which is the ultimate goal.

Posted in Uncategorized, News by Jason Waechter, Esq.

< Return to Post List

Name *

Email *

Spam Protection

All Categories

News

Legal

Uncategorized