Automotive

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.

The full white paper “Driving better material choices for automobiles: The impact of low CO₂ footprint aluminium on life cycle emissions” can be accessed via the download button.

ALLOW is the aluminium for the future

While the auto industry has relied on aluminium in the past, ALLOW serves to make next-generation aluminium cars even better. The fuel savings and reduced CO₂emissions are crucial, but automotive aluminium offers superior strength and shock absorption as well. ALLOW can be twice as strong as steel when exposed to shocks, limiting damage to the point of impact rather than spreading.

What makes ALLOW different

With operations in 13 countries, RUSAL is especially sensitive to global trends. 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 the style and sturdiness 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 today’s level of 130kg, 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.

ALLOW is infinitely recyclable

Best of all, aluminium is recyclable. Leading car producers have extensive scrap recovery programs, ensuring that none of the manufacturing material goes to waste within the plant site. Nearly all of the aluminium in an old or irreparably damaged vehicle is recycled as well. ALLOW closes the carbon emissions loop even more, with a metal that is built with renewable hydropower energy inputs and smart, low-impact RUSAL production technologies from the beginning of the production cycle.

That’s especially key for the emerging markets of the future, as the percentage of overall CO₂emissions from transportation registers so much higher in the Global South. At the same time, the demographic trends for many of these countries show explosive growth in their urban centers and the opportunity to build a future on new technologies that will protect the climate.

What’s more, in a world focused on limiting the adverse impacts of climate change, RUSAL’s ALLOW product is certified to confirm its sustainable production, and is traceable to the specific smelter used.

In addition, RUSAL is one of 55 members of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), a cutting-edge industry non-profit working to ensure that the production and use of environmentally friendly aluminium is a global climate solution backed up by full transparency all along the value chain. Headquartered in Australia, ASI’s membership includes metals industry corporate leaders like RUSAL, national aluminium councils from Austria to South Africa, and automotive manufacturers such as Audi, BMW and Jaguar Land Rover. The ASI also includes the World Wildlife Fund, the Verité fair labor organization, and other human rights and civil society actors, as well as aluminium-intensive firms in consumer tech, beverage industry and supply.