Lightweighting Is Imperative, And One-Piece Die-Casting Ignites The Craze

 

New energy vehicles have a large range anxiety problem, and the demand for lightweighting is more urgent. According to Roland Berger's 2022 survey results, range anxiety is still the primary reason affecting consumers' purchase of electric vehicles. Lightweighting can reduce energy consumption and improve battery life by reducing the weight of the entire vehicle. If a new energy vehicle loses 100kg, the battery life will increase by 10%-11%, while reducing battery costs and daily loss costs by 20%. We believe that with the decline in new energy vehicle subsidy policies, the gradual increase in subsidy thresholds for battery life, and the trend of heavy mileage anxiety among end users, the demand for lightweighting of new energy vehicles is more urgent.New energy vehicles have a large range anxiety problem, and the demand for lightweighting is more urgent. According to Roland Berger's 2022 survey results, range anxiety is still the primary reason affecting consumers' purchase of electric vehicles.

 

Lightweighting can reduce energy consumption and improve battery life by reducing the weight of the entire vehicle. If a new energy vehicle loses 100kg, the battery life will increase by 10%-11%, while reducing battery costs and daily loss costs by 20%. We believe that with the decline in new energy vehicle subsidy policies, the gradual increase in subsidy thresholds for battery life, and the trend of heavy mileage anxiety among end users, the demand for lightweighting of new energy vehicles is more urgent.

 

 

Integrated die casting breaks through the limitations of aluminum alloy connection technology and accelerates the process of lightweighting of automobiles.

 

Aluminum alloy has superior performance and mature technology, and has good comprehensive performance in terms of cost-effectiveness, difficulty in mass production, and performance. It has the possibility of large-scale use in the short and medium term. The means of automobile lightweighting include structural optimization design, manufacturing process optimization, and application of lightweight materials. The application of lightweight materials achieves weight reduction while taking into account the stability of the overall performance of the automobile. It is currently the mainstream solution. Taking into account factors such as cost-effectiveness, technical processes, and performance, aluminum alloy has the highest feasibility at this stage and is the most mature and most widely used solution. Compared with other materials, aluminum alloy has superior performance, good weight reduction effect, and moderate cost. Under the condition of achieving the same weight reduction effect, the unit cost is the lowest. At the same time, it is light and high-strength, with strong formability. It can meet the one-time forming of complex structures through extrusion molding, which meets the needs of mass production. In the short and medium term, it has the conditions for large-scale use.

 

Integrated die-casting breaks through the limitations of aluminum alloy connection processes and accelerates the development of lightweight vehicles. The traditional process of automobile manufacturing is divided into four steps: stamping - welding - painting - final assembly. The body needs to weld the stamped parts of the body into assembly lines such as engine compartment, side panels, front and rear floors, and top covers, and then finally assemble them. It is a main welding production line, and the integrated die-casting technology combines the stamping and welding links through one-time high-pressure die-casting, and the body-in-white except for the outer cover and some suspension parts is die-cast into large parts in one go. We believe that the integrated die-casting process essentially revolutionizes automobile lightweighting processes and material use.

 

First of all, in terms of manufacturing process, integrated die-casting combines stamping and welding processes, which significantly simplifies the production process and improves production efficiency. We are optimistic about other OEMs. Under the demonstration of Tesla, the integrated die-casting process is continuously introduced and the traditional stamping and welding process is merged. Secondly, regarding the use of materials, steel plates are easy to stamp and weld. They have been widely used in traditional automobile manufacturing in the past. Aluminum alloy is the main material for die-casting. With the gradual introduction of integrated die-casting, we are optimistic that it will break through the limitations of material connection processes. Accelerate the application in automobile lightweighting.

 

 

The cornerstone of lightweight technology and structure, with aluminum alloy as the core application direction

 

Steel is used in over 50% of vehicles and is the main alternative to lightweight materials. The main material of automobiles is steel, accounting for 55% of applications, followed by cast iron, accounting for 12%. Steel manufacturing technology is mature, cost-effective, high-strength and good wear resistance, but it has a high density and is the main alternative to lightweight materials.

 

(1) High-strength steel plates have high tensile strength and yield strength, and are mainly used in key structural parts. With the characteristics of high tensile strength and high yield strength, they can maintain performance while thinning the steel plate and reducing the weight of the vehicle body. In recent years, they are mainly used in key structural parts of vehicles such as AB pillars, floors, and door sills. For example, BMW uses high-strength steel in the center channel, floor, B pillar, and door anti-collision bar of some models; Cadillac uses advanced high-strength steel in key parts such as AB pillar inner panels, floor center channel, and cross beams of some models, making the steel lower body structure 6kg lighter than the original aluminum body.

 

(2) Aluminum alloys are corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant, and their applications are transitioning from internal parts covers to all-aluminum car bodies. They have low density, high strength and stiffness, good elasticity and impact resistance, and excellent corrosion and wear resistance, making them ideal materials for lightweight automobiles. Aluminum alloys were initially used for automobile hoods and trunk lids, and are now used in all-aluminum car bodies and battery shells for new energy vehicles. By 2021, more than 80% of the car body will be made of aluminum alloys and aluminum composite materials abroad.

 

 

Aluminum alloys are rapidly penetrating into the market due to their excellent cost-effectiveness, and the amount of aluminum used in bicycles is on the rise. At present, the application of aluminum alloy parts in automobiles has covered battery boxes, liquid cooling plates, front and rear anti-collision beams, shock absorbers, new energy vehicle electrical brackets, CCB instrument panel brackets, etc. According to the International Aluminum Association, in my country's passenger car market from 2016 to 2019, the increase in aluminum consumption per fuel vehicle, pure electric vehicle, and hybrid vehicle was 15.7%, 33.6%, and 28.1%, respectively. Among them, the growth rate of aluminum consumption per pure electric vehicle was significantly higher than that of traditional fuel vehicles.

 

According to DuckerFrontier data, the aluminum consumption of pure electric vehicles is generally 101kg higher than that of fuel vehicles. This is mainly because although electric vehicles save aluminum parts in the internal combustion engine powertrain, aluminum parts in the transmission system and transmission (the aluminum consumption of these parts per vehicle is about 62kg, and most of them are castings), the battery casing, electric traction system, body, opening and closing parts of the electric vehicle require an additional aluminum of about 163kg, and this part of castings accounts for less than 30%, mainly aluminum profiles.

 

In summary, aluminum bodies have a significant lightweight effect on new energy vehicles and have strong overall economic efficiency. We are optimistic about their accelerated application as new energy vehicles penetrate the market.

 

 

 

The battery shell, electric traction system, body and switch parts of the tram require an additional 163kg of aluminum, of which less than 30% are cast materials, mainly aluminum profiles. Looking ahead, there is a large room for growth in the amount of aluminum used in bicycles. If you are interested in aluminum alloy products, please click the link below.

 

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