The mere reduction of a car's weight -- by replacing steel with aluminum during the manufacturing process -- could lead to potential savings of up to 140 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and the equivalent of 60 billion liters of crude oil over the lifespan of the entire vehicle fleet. That's quite impressive!
But why stop there?
Indeed, a recent study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research came to the conclusion that a worldwide reduction of the weight of all vehicles -- cars, trucks, railroad vehicles, planes, ships -- would save about 660 million tons of GHGs per year, which represents 9 percent of GHGs produced by the entire world transportation network.
A few examples
A bumper beam made of aluminum weighs 2.6 kilos less than a steel beam. The hood of an American family sedan is 42-percent lighter when aluminum is used instead of steel. Finally, each ton of iron used to manufacture cylinder blocks saves approximately 8,000 liters of crude oil over their lifecycle.
But why stop there?
Indeed, a recent study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research came to the conclusion that a worldwide reduction of the weight of all vehicles -- cars, trucks, railroad vehicles, planes, ships -- would save about 660 million tons of GHGs per year, which represents 9 percent of GHGs produced by the entire world transportation network.
A few examples
A bumper beam made of aluminum weighs 2.6 kilos less than a steel beam. The hood of an American family sedan is 42-percent lighter when aluminum is used instead of steel. Finally, each ton of iron used to manufacture cylinder blocks saves approximately 8,000 liters of crude oil over their lifecycle.