Aluminum Use in Electric Vehicles will Reduce High Cost of Battery Power for Plug-Ins and Hybrids, New Study Confirms

Aluminum Use in Electric Vehicles will Reduce High Cost of Battery Power forPlug-Ins and Hybrids, New Study ConfirmsReplacing Steel Bodies with Aluminum in Electric Cars can Reduce OverallConsumer CostsDETROIT, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Opting for high-strength, low-weight aluminumover heavier steel structures for plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles can cutvehicle price overall by reducing the battery energy requirements and theassociated costs, according to a new study released today at the Center forAutomotive Research's (CAR) Business of Plugging In conference. The study wasjointly conducted by The Aluminum Association, Inc. with Ricardo, a leadingtechnical research and strategic consultancy to the world's automotive,transport and energy industries. Michael Bull, Director of Automotive Technology for Novelis, Inc., representedthe Aluminum Association at the conference and participated in a paneldiscussion on future automotive changes associated with all electric vehicles. "As automakers gear up for a new generation of plug-in electric vehicles, thehigh cost of battery power remains a barrier," said Bull. "What this newreport shows is that by upgrading from traditional steel to an advancedaluminum body structure, the vehicle's stored energy requirements can be cutby about 10 percent, which could save up to $3,000 per vehicle since lesspower and energy is required to move the lighter vehicle.""Plug-in and hybrid electric cars contain precious little, and quiteexpensive, 'fuel' in the form of batteries," added Bull. "Therefore, everyeffort must be made to utilize this stored energy to the highest possibleefficiency. The solution lies in lowering the vehicle's weight with aluminumas part of a holistic approach to also include advanced powertrains andbatteries, enhanced thermal management, improved aerodynamics, and reducedrolling resistance."Highlights from the Ricardo electric vehicle study, for the federal testprocedure (FTP75) drive cycle, include: -- The driving range of the vehicles could be improved approximatelyequal to the mass saved. Reduce the mass of the vehicle 20 percent, go 20 percent father. One example vehicle had the range extended from 80 to97 miles. -- The heaviest vehicle in the study, at 1,822 kg, consumed about 300 Wh/mi, while the lightest at 627 kg consumed about 146 Wh/mi. -- Regenerative braking could recover about 65 percent of the energy associated with the vehicle's momentum irrespective of the vehicle weight. But this is only about 15-20 percent of the total energy expended. -- For the lightest vehicle, about 44 percent of the energy is lost to powertrain inefficiencies, with 33 percent of the energy used to overcome air resistance, and only 24 percent is used to move the vehicle. -- As with conventional vehicles, the lighter vehicles have faster accelerations. The purpose of the Ricardo study was to evaluate the impact of vehicle weightreductions on electric vehicle performance, range and battery size. Themajority of the vehicle simulations were done using the FTP75 drive cycle witha few highway drive cycles. In general, the relationships between vehiclemass, battery weight and energy, and range are linear up to the maximum rangestudied of 80 miles. At this range, the battery weight doesn't grow enough tostart a significant "weight spiral."The study also examined the role of vehicle mass on regenerative braking;specifically the question of whether strong regenerative braking might lessenthe impact of weight reduction. This turns out not to be the case. Allvehicles studied could recoup about 65 percent of energy associated withmoving the vehicle. But the energy balance for each vehicle changes. As thevehicle gets lighter, less energy is required to move it, while theaerodynamic losses remain constant. For the lightest vehicle the aerodynamiclosses are higher than the energy to accelerate the vehicle. Real world designs support the fact that lightweight structures are asignificant enabler for these vehicle types. Examples include Tesla Motors'sRoadster, or upcoming midsized platform, Fisker Automotive's luxury vehicleand Bright Automotive's van. All are all using lightweight aluminum platformsfor their vehicles. "Many of the current hybrid vehicles are progressively adding lower weightcomponents to improve the overall vehicle performance. When it comes to makingelectric vehicles more affordable and efficient, aluminum is proven to get youthere with no compromises," said Bull. For a summary of the Ricardo study, or general information on the advantagesof aluminum for transportation applications, visit www.autoaluminum.org. For acopy of the full study, or to arrange media interviews on the subject, pleasecontact Kristin Tyll at 248-824-8200 or ktyll@stratacomm.net. About the Aluminum AssociationThrough its Aluminum Transportation Group, the Aluminum Associationcommunicates the benefits of aluminum in ground transportation applications tohelp accelerate its penetration through research programs and related outreachactivities. The ATG's mission is to serve member companies and act as acentral resource for the automotive and commercial vehicle industries onaluminum issues. Member of the ATG include: Alcoa Inc., Novelis Inc., AlcanInc, Aluminum Precision Products Inc., Kaiser Aluminum Corporation and SapaGroup. About RicardoRicardo is a leading provider of technology, product innovation, engineeringsolutions and strategic consulting to the world's automotive, transport andenergy industries. Combining business, product and process strategy withfundamental technical research and the implementation of large-scale newproduct development programs, Ricardo is able to take on the greatestchallenges including business strategy and restructuring, processre-engineering, product design, development, engineering, testing and systemsintegration. More information is available at www.ricardo.com.