Aluminium would cut running costs

Press, 15 October 1982, Page 19

Aluminium would cut running costs

Running costs of the average family saloon could be cut by a quarter if it was built predominantly of aluminium rather than steel. “When one considers that aluminium is about 65 per cent lighter than steel, it becomes clear that the overall vehicle weight could be reduced by 40 per cent,” says

Mr Mike Loasby, chief executive of the engineering and design consortium. Midland Design Partnership. He is the former engineering chief of De Lorean and Aston Martin, and he claims that it is only vested interest that is preventing extensive use of aluminium in car manufacture.

While admitting that use of aluminium would add about 10 per cent to the price of a car, he says that the additional outlay would be recovered at a quickening pace as the price of petrol rises.

He has calculated' that if Britain’s average 30 m.p.g. car uses 25 per cent less fuel there would be a saving of nearly 85 gallons (386 litres) in a 10.000-mile (16,090 km year. In national terms in Britain, with 15 million cars on the roads, that would represent 1.25 billion gallons (5.76 billion litres) saved a year.

Car weight could be saved by making the entire body out of aluminium and also components such as suspension parts, wheels, brakes, mountings and brackets. But probably the greatest saving could be made by making the engine and drive train from aluminium.