According to the report of the World Automobile Association, the fuel consumption can be reduced by 6%-8% for every 10% reduction in vehicle weight. The lighter weight of the car will help the fuel economy of the vehicle and improve the stability of vehicle control. Energy resources can reduce emissions and meet environmental requirements. Automotive lightweighting has become an important label for automotive products. It is also an important direction for the development of the automotive industry. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has also issued a clear statement that it is necessary to promote the development of lightweight vehicles.
Therefore, under the guidance of the policy and the market, the lightweight of automobiles has ushered in the spring of innovation and development. Facing the broad market space of new energy vehicles, traditional car companies have laid out new energy strategies, and competition is becoming increasingly fierce. It will be the 'nuclear weapon' that competes in the new energy vehicle market. Aluminum alloy body, high-strength steel chassis, power system, plastic cover, material joining process, etc. will all become new demands in the new energy vehicle market.
Rapid development of aluminum alloy material development and application
Aluminum alloy has become a star material in the automotive industry in recent years due to its lighter quality and better performance. Relevant data show that in 2017, China's total annual automotive terminal aluminum consumption reached 3.71 million tons. Cast aluminum alloy, forging Aluminum alloy, aluminum extrusion profiles, aluminum panels and other types of aluminum are widely used in the body, chassis and other systems. In addition, with the explosion of the new energy vehicle market, all-aluminum body, aluminum battery packs and other aspects also ushered in development And the climax of the application.
Nowadays, the all-aluminum body has become a major selling point for new energy vehicles. For example, Chinalco Southwest Aluminum provides 10 all-aluminum bodies for Changan A001 pure electric vehicles, including profile skeletons and sheet metal structural parts. The prototype development involves more than 40 profiles. And more than 300 parts. Compared with steel frame structure vehicles, the aluminum frame achieves 50% weight reduction while reducing energy consumption and reducing body inertia, improving vehicle acceleration, noise reduction and Performance in vibration, etc., to improve driving safety and comfort.
The trend of automotive plasticization is difficult to stop
Automotive plasticization is also a major trend in the international automotive industry today. According to a report released by Global Market Insight (GMI) Consulting, sales of the global automotive plastics market are expected to exceed US$50 billion by 2024. Parts made of plastic products will occupy an increasing proportion.
Statistics show that in 2016, the average global polymer composite material consumption per light vehicle is about 150 kg. GMI predicts that by 2024, only in automotive power systems, the proportion of plastic products will be close to 10%, including the engine. The core components of the drive shaft, gears, transmissions and bearings. The proportion of plastic products in the chassis of the car will also exceed 9%. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) in plastic materials benefits from its impact resistance, UV filtering, Chemical resistance, high color accuracy, weather resistance, etc. GMI predicts that by 2024, the PMMA-based automotive plastics market will exceed $1.3 billion.
A new way of connecting materials to make lightweight and worry-free
The emergence of various new materials offers numerous options for automotive lightweighting, but how to use lightweight materials with new material applications as a guide will undoubtedly face major problems in material connection, especially the expansion of automotive materials systems, dissimilar materials. Connections become the focus of new material applications.
A Pulais Precision Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.'s 'Aluminum Body Manufacturing Riveting 4.0 Solution' has realized the intelligent upgrade of riveting assembly, with production automation, equipment intelligence, production data information, equipment system network and so on. Its unique locking and riveting technology can realize the connection of different materials, different thicknesses and different strength materials, which perfectly solves the problem of how to connect various materials.
Conclusion
Nowadays, with the rapid development of new energy vehicles, the weight of automobiles has become a bottleneck restricting the development of new energy vehicles. Although aluminum alloy materials and plastic materials can be used, for the moment, these materials are not completely light in new energy vehicles. Quantitative target realization, such as the pure electric car Tesla model S, under the premise of using the aluminum alloy body, the weight is still about 2 tons, if you can reduce the weight, then the acceleration and braking performance will be improved. Therefore, weight loss will be an eternal subject in automobile manufacturing for some time to come.