Apr 19 - Auto Industry Upping Use Of Aluminum To Meet Fuel Standards
Allen Sykora of the Dow Jones Newswires reports that in North America, cars, light trucks, mini-vans and SUVs now include an average of 319 pounds of aluminum. This increase in the use of aluminum may be a result of trying to increase fuel efficiency and reduce green house gas emissions.
Aluminum has become the second most heavily used component in automobiles and light trucks, with use of the metal quadrupling in the last three decades as manufacturers increasingly rely on it to make vehicles lighter and thus more fuel efficient, industry officials report.
Furthermore, they add, expectations are that demand for the metal from the auto industry will continue to grow.
A recent report, commissioned by the Aluminum Association and conducted by Ducker Worldwide, found that passenger vehicles - including cars, light trucks, sport-utility vehicles and mini-vans - in North America now contain an average of 319 pounds of aluminum, a 16% increase from 2002. Back in 1973, the figure was 81 pounds.