Automotive aluminum can reduce greenhouse gas emissions
According to a study by the Heidelberg Institute for Energy and Environmental Protection (IFEU), aluminum-based vehicles can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save fuel. The London International Aluminum Research Institute (IAI) also reached the same conclusion.
In 2006, the use of aluminum to manufacture passenger cars reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 140 million tons and saved 60 billion liters of crude oil over the life of passenger cars. IAI experts disclosed this information at the China Aluminum and Transportation Academic Conference in Dalian, China. In general, IFEU research shows that if all vehicles (including cars, trucks, railway locomotives, airplanes and ships) use aluminum to reduce weight, they can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 660 million tons per year, equivalent to global 9% of traffic emissions.
According to experts from the International Aluminium Association, this conclusion is based on the research data of the International Aluminum Association and the life model of the development of the aluminum industry. The model considers greenhouse gas emissions from aluminum production, vehicle use and waste disposal.
The IAI study compared the use of high-strength scrap and high-strength scrap. Compare the use of bumpers and car shells in European and American cars. The aluminum bumper is 2.6 kg lighter than the high-strength steel bumper. Aluminum bumpers can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 48 kilograms during a driving cycle of 200,000 kilometers. The weight of the aluminum shell is 42% lighter than the high strength steel shell. In the 200,000-kilometer driving cycle, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 131 kg due to the use of an aluminum casing.