Stepping into the 21st century, the calls for protecting the ecological environment in various countries are increasing day by day, and the emission regulations are becoming stricter.The automobile industry, which is a major player in energy consumption and emission, urgently needs to solve the major issue of energy saving and emission reduction.Among them, the all-aluminum body lightweight technology that can significantly reduce energy consumption has become the focus of the automotive industry.
All-aluminum body has obvious advantages
According to data from international research institutions, if the weight of the vehicle is reduced by 10%, the fuel efficiency can be increased by 6% to 8%; for every 100 kg reduction in the curb weight of the vehicle, the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers can be reduced by 0.3 to 0.6 liters. If the engine is made of aluminum alloy, the weight can be reduced by about 30%; while the aluminum alloy body, which is more difficult to manufacture, can be reduced by about 40%, and the weight reduction effect is extremely significant. Another set of data shows that every kilogram of aluminum used in a car instead of steel can reduce more than 9 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions throughout the product cycle.
Moreover, from the perspective of environmental protection and resource utilization, aluminum has an advantage that is very suitable for the development of the current era-100% can be recycled infinitely, and it can be truly closed-loop manufacturing. This “closed-loop recycling” system brings supply chain efficiency that is unmatched by other metals. Aluminum is recycled by machining without any loss of value or quality in the process.
In addition, compared with the traditional body, the aluminum alloy body also has the advantages of lightness and strength, and is convenient for modular design, bringing more flexible space configuration and complex technology. It can be said that the application of aluminum alloy lightweight technology, especially the all-aluminum body technology, can improve automobile products in an all-round way.
In the “Technology Roadmap for Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicles”, my country has planned the goals of lightweighting at each stage. In 2025 and 2030, the amount of aluminum alloy for a single vehicle will reach 250kg and 350kg respectively, and the amount will greatly exceed that of high-strength steel. However, judging from the reality of the current Chinese auto market, vehicles with all-aluminum bodies are rare, and there are many reasons for this.
On the one hand, the cost of all-aluminum bodywork is too high, and the advantages are not easy to be perceived by consumers, and companies often “do not thank for their efforts”. On the other hand, it is at the “ceiling” level in the automobile manufacturing industry. It has extremely high technical barriers and is difficult to manufacture. It requires enterprises to continuously invest a lot of manpower and material resources. It will not happen overnight. Moreover, it not only requires car companies to overcome difficulties, but also requires the coordination of the upstream and downstream of the entire industrial chain. From this point of view, in the past few years, the reserves of my country’s related industrial chains are obviously insufficient.
However, just like the introduction of Tesla to drive the development of electric vehicles, there is also a pioneering enterprise at the level of all-aluminum bodies – Chery Jaguar Land Rover. This enterprise, which has put into operation the first autocratic all-aluminum body workshop in China, has made its own contribution to the development of the country’s all-aluminum body and even the high-end aluminum alloy industry.
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After Chery Jaguar Land Rover built the first domestic all-aluminum body workshop, it not only introduced the world’s advanced all-aluminum body technology, but also drove the vigorous development of upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain to a certain extent. In recent years, with the continuous investment in equipment and R&D by relevant domestic companies, the industry concentration has also increased significantly, which can provide better quality aluminum alloy parts for car companies.
Although there are still not many car companies that use all-aluminum bodies like Chery Jaguar Land Rover, the proportion of steel-aluminum hybrid bodies has increased significantly. In addition, more and more companies choose to use aluminum alloy materials in terms of chassis parts and body structural parts, which will undoubtedly further promote the development of China’s high-end aluminum alloy industry.
At present, the development of global electrification continues to accelerate, and the sales growth rate of new energy vehicles exceeds expectations. New energy vehicles that need weight reduction and efficiency enhancement have a strong demand for aluminum alloys. Chery Jaguar Land Rover’s contribution to China’s high-end aluminum alloy industry cannot be ignored. It can be said that Chery Jaguar Land Rover’s first introduction of the all-aluminum body has not only a subtle but also a profound impact on the Chinese auto industry.
Post time: Mar-22-2023