Aluminum in Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) – A Life Cycle Assessment Report 

New research by Sphera affirms aluminum-optimized designs significantly reduce a vehicle’s life cycle environmental footprint, highlighting aluminum’s role in advancing clean transportation from manufacturing to use-phase and beyond. The study evaluates the environmental impact of lightweighting battery electric vehicles (BEVs) using aluminum, comparing a status quo scenario comprised of other materials to an aluminum-optimized scenario.

Research Highlights

  • Product systems in the study include two types/classes of BEVs: a City Vehicle (sedan) and a Family Crossover (SUV).
  • Conceptual BEV designs are the result of a previous study focused on economic value of aluminum-intensive lightweight design concepts.
  • Primary data for vehicles including weight, bill of materials, and battery details was provided primarily by FEV Group based on a 2022 study.
  • Objective is to evaluate the potential environmental advantages of substituting competing materials for aluminum in BEVs.
  • Global Warming Potential over 100 years (GWP100) is a metric that measures the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on global warming over a 100-year period.
  • Findings show aluminum-optimized vehicle designs contribute significantly to reducing harmful emissions over time by lowering vehicle weight, improving fuel efficiency, and enabling battery downsizing.

Related Resources

Maximizing the Value of Recycled Aluminum Extrusions in Automotive Alloys
NADCA 2024 ATG Roadmap Presentation
2023 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content and Outlook