Steel: Creating lighter cars and reducing pollutants

Steel is widely used in the automotive industry to make vehicles lighter and more environmentally friendly. Worldsteel explains that an average of 900kg of steel is used per vehicle.

You'll find 34% of this material in the body structure, panels, doors and trunk to provide high strength and energy absorption in the event of a car crash. Meanwhile, 23 percent are in the drivetrain and 12 percent are in the suspension.

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The current application of steel in the automotive field

According to a report from the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), the majority of vehicles today are constructed of steel, some of them aluminum. There are also many types of steel, such as galvanized steel, stainless steel, color steel, etc.

The report added that cold stamping is the leading manufacturing technology today. But when it comes to higher strength steel, cold forming is difficult. In addition, new manufacturing technologies are emerging to achieve the speed and cost-effectiveness required for mass production. On the other hand, high-volume parts have used hot forming of steel. Given the increasing demand for ultra-high-strength steels, the manufacturing technology is likely to reach maturity in 2025.

Worldsteel points out that advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) is used in almost all new vehicle designs. The association states that 60% of the body structure of current vehicles uses AHSS, enabling lighter and more optimized vehicle designs by improving safety and fuel efficiency.

For example, automakers can reduce vehicle weight by 25% to 39% when using new grades of AHSS compared to conventional steel. Considering the entire life cycle of the vehicle, reducing vehicle weight will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Steel will continue to be in demand in the automotive industry in the future, although industry experts consider mixing various lightweight materials, including aluminum, carbon fiber and magnesium. While these materials can meet safety and fuel economy standards, they still can't match the durability and strength of steel. Experts believe that vehicles need to be durable enough to withstand regular use and keep consumers safe.

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