AMS Lightweighting 2021 – Weighing the options

Weighing the options – carmakers prioritise lightweighting in EV design and manufacturing

Lightweighting vehicles and components is not new to automotive engineers and manufacturing experts. For years, OEMs and suppliers have worked to reduce weight to ensure that vehicles fuel economy improved. Now, two trends in vehicle sales and output are making lightweighting even more important: the sharp rise of SUV and light truck sales growth, and the quickening transition to electric vehicles. These shifts have made it even more important for manufacturers to use lightweight, high-strength materials, for example in reducing fuel consumption in larger vehicles. For electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and battery enclosures add significant weight to vehicles, with manufacturers looking to materials across exteriors and interiors to offset this weight. In both cases, engineers and designers are paying more attention to design-for-manufacture and reductionist principles to simplify or even eliminate every part possible.

This issue offers insight and case studies on best practice in lightweighting and design-for-manufacture.

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Register free or sign-in to access features including:

• Thinking outside the box: lightweighting strategies for batteries enclosures featuring the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability
• Stress test: how the Fatigue4light project is introducing new testing and measurement processes for vehicle components
• Aluminium applications: Rio Tinto’s Jerome Fourmann on how aluminium castings can offset EV battery weights
• Design-for-manufacture: Ford and Gestamp designers and engineers outline the contradictions and benefits at the heart of lightweighting

Plus expert insight Voice of the Industry:

• ArcelorMittal on developing safe battery structures
• Dreistern on roll forming for EV architectures

Available to all registered users of Automotive Manufacturing Solutions. Sign-up here to always stay up to date.