Automotive study says aluminum provides best life cycle emissions reductions, energy savings

June 30, 2010

A new international sustainability study on automotive materials has been released by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The study highlights aluminum’s and magnesium’s superior life cycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction and energy savings benefits.

Initiated to explore the potential for increased use of magnesium in automobiles, the Magnesium Front End Research Development (MFERD) project conducted a full life cycle assessment study on the impact of steel, magnesium, and aluminum front-end parts in a Cadillac CTS® and concluded aluminum was the environmental winner.

The study, a collaborative effort among organizations in Canada, China, and the U.S., found that when analyzing the full life cycle of the metals, magnesium delivers 15 percent energy savings compared to a steel design, and aluminum yields 20 percent energy savings. When looking at the total life cycle CO2 emissions, magnesium is 12 percent better than steel, and aluminum is 20 percent better. The aluminum design achieved the best lifetime performance for overall energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

“Everyone knows that hybrids and full-electric cars depend on expensive battery packs for energy storage,” said Randall Scheps, chairman of the U.S. Aluminum Association’s Aluminum Transportation Group and marketing director with Alcoa Inc. “In these powertrain configurations, we found that a dollar invested in lightweighting can save up to $3 in battery costs—without compromising range.”