Sustainability
Automotive industry
Aluminium has been used in the automotive industry for more than a century, starting with lightweight engines and bodies for racing cars.
Safe, cost-effective and environmentally friendly
Aluminium provides a safe, environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to improve performance, enhance fuel economy and reduce emissions while maintaining or improving safety and reliability for cars.
Replacing traditional materials
Vehicles built with aluminium can achieve a 20% reduction in energy consumption throughout their life cycles and up to a 17% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Innovation and greener cars of the future
Increased use of aluminium also drives innovation in production techniques by car manufacturers. Some parts – such as engine pistons – can now be produced through 3D printing techniques.
ALLOW empowers customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their products.
ALLOWWhy use ALLOW for automotive industry?
ALLOW for climate-conscious driving
RUSAL’s investment in developing ALLOW, a cleaner, greener aluminium brand, is changing the game in the move away from carbon emissions in conjunction with car, truck and commercial vehicle owners — as well as the automotive manufacturers. That’s not just emissions generated by heavy cars that relied on fossil fuels, but emissions tied to the manufacturing process inputs. When it comes to the automotive industry, the tide has already turned on the inefficient vehicles of the past as global consumers demand vehicles they know will contribute to a more sustainable future.
Aluminium light weighting takes off
Lightweight aluminium-intensive vehicles have 12.6% lower life cycle CO2 emissions compared to steel vehicles, achieving a carbon emissions payback of 63,300 km when higher production inputs are offset with improved fuel economy. But not all aluminium is created equal - what would the impact be with the use of low CO2 aluminium?
Based on the findings of RUSAL’s white paper — low CO2 aluminium further reduces life cycle emissions by 17% compared to the steel vehicle, with a carbon payback of just 8,400 km. This significant reduction in carbon payback from the ‘world average’ carbon footprint aluminium-intensive vehicle – by 54,900 km – means that low CO2 aluminium-intensive vehicles can offset production inputs in less than one year of driving.
Low CO2 aluminium is the most attractive material to reduce vehicle weight and increase fuel economy. In order to truly address life cycle emissions of vehicles - regulators, engineers, and automotive executives need to consider the carbon footprint of the substitutive lightweight materials.
In this white paper RUSAL presents findings from a comprehensive literature review of 24 automotive life cycle analyses in order to define the differentiated impacts of using low CO2 aluminium in the car body-in-white and closures over various powertrains (internal combustion engines, battery electric, and plug-in hybrid vehicles) and segments (A, C, E). This study provides a new evaluation about the sensitivity of raw material choice on electric vehicles’ life cycle emissions.
What makes ALLOW different
By using renewable hydropower, ALLOW has a fraction of the emissions generated by coal power, which are four to five times higher, and less than half that of aluminium produced with gas sources.
ALLOW can be used to make the engine, chassis, bonnet and other components crucial for light-weighting of new vehicles. Every kilogram of aluminium used in a car can generate savings of one kilogram to the overall weight of a vehicle. It’s expected that by 2028, the average aluminium content in a car will reach 200kg, up from 130kg 10 years ago, which ensures a lower carbon footprint through the entire lifecycle of the vehicle.
ALLOW reduces both the carbon emissions across the vehicle’s lifespan and the levels of emissions associated with making the aluminium materials.
Every kilogram of aluminium used in a car can generate savings of one kilogram to the overall weight of a vehicle. It’s expected that by 2028, the average aluminium content in a car will reach 200kg, up from today’s level of 130kg, which ensures a lower carbon footprint through the entire lifecycle of the vehicle