The shift to electric vehicles is reshaping the demands placed on materials and supply chains. A new study by Transport & Environment (T&E) highlights aluminium as a key lever – and green aluminium as a viable route to significantly reducing emissions.
Aluminium plays a critical role in EV design – from battery housings to chassis components and structural elements. Around 20 % of an electric vehicle’s production emissions currently stem from aluminium manufacturing. The solution: switching to low-carbon aluminium, defined by the study as either recycled aluminium or primary aluminium produced using clean energy and modern, CO₂-free processes.
According to T&E, car manufacturers could make this switch for an additional cost of around €25 per vehicle by 2040 – a modest investment with major impact. The potential savings in emissions would be equivalent to removing 900,000 combustion engine cars from European roads each year.
The proposal is clear: increase the share of green aluminium to 60 % by 2035 and to 85 % by 2040. Achieving this target would require:
- Clear political guidelines
- Improved recycling standards
- Quotas for locally produced aluminium
- Export restrictions for aluminium scrap
For the surface treatment industry – especially in anodising and coating – this presents concrete opportunities:
- How will recycled or low-carbon alloys affect pretreatment processes?
- What role can chemistry play in ensuring quality and durability?
- How can manufacturers ensure compatibility with evolving standards?
Conclusion: Green aluminium is not a distant vision – it is a technically feasible, economically realistic and ecologically essential step to improving the climate performance of EVs.
Source: