“Several major automakers are adapting to high copper prices by replacing some of their copper wiring with aluminum. Ferrari claims that switching to aluminum is not only cheaper but can reduce total wiring weight by up to 20 percent,” notes The Doomslayer.
Reuters reports:
Ferrari and BMW are rolling out new models featuring lightweight, cost-effective aluminum wiring, accelerating a shift away from copper, the dominant material in electric wiring since the invention of the electric battery two centuries ago.
The decisions follow similar moves by Tesla and Chinese EV makers and reflect a broader industry trend forecast to affect around 2% of global copper demand this year…
Even more copper could be switched to aluminum in the coming years because of a structural rise in copper prices, driven by shortages of the metal and with increased demand from the green-energy sector and data centers…record copper prices in late January, peaking close to $15,000 per metric ton, added weight to the case for switching to aluminum.
On the other hand, the average car is getting heavier because an increasing fraction of cars worldwide are electric cars, and electric cars tend to be much heavier than gas-powered cars. Electric vehicles make up about 25% of new car sales globally, a much higher fraction than in the past. Over half of all new car sales in China are electric. By contrast, only 5% of the cars in the world are electric, because many cars were purchased years ago, when electric vehicles were rare.
The typical electric car is around 25% heavier than a comparable gas-powered car. This greater weight is mostly due to the big, heavy batteries required to power the car, which add hundreds of pounds compared to traditional gas engines and fuel tanks.
In some places, electric vehicles will place a strain on transportation infrastructure. They are much heavier than gasoline-powered vehicles. Axlewise says “the average EV battery weighs about 1,000 pounds. Some batteries weigh more than 2,000 pounds. The heaviest EV battery is the Hummer EV battery, which weighs around 2,923 pounds.” A study found that electric vehicles place twice as much stress on roads as gas-powered vehicles. That means more cracks in the pavement. In 2023, the Telegraph reported that the “sheer weight of electric vehicles could sink” some bridges in England.
