In the past most automotive field manufacturers tended to use steel as one if the main metals for building cars and other vehicles, because it is a sturdy metal that lasts a very long time and that is easily accessible resource. However recently manufacturers all over the world have started to replace steel with aluminum, which surprises some and makes others slowly exhale and say “Finally!”. So why don’t we find out a bit more about aluminum usage in automotive industry and how aluminum recycling fits in this equation.

One of the main reasons that vehicle manufacturers have started to look towards aluminum as valid replacement for steel is the fact that aluminum is that much lighter than steel. A car with all its parts is heavy already, but add that to a frame made from steel and you get a tank. But with aluminum frame the car would be at least 500 to 700 pounds lighter if not more, meaning that it would have smaller fuel consumption and would let you save money on gas. On top of that, because aluminum is less dense than steel it also is more versatile and more malleable. So not only you can shape it more easily making repairs of a vehicle in which steel is replaced with aluminum easier, but it overall allows to shape the vehicle easier and better, and this again would cut down the costs of making and repairing a car.

Of course aluminum isn’t as durable as steel, so you can make dents in aluminum much easier than in steel, however, that doesn’t mean that even the lightest touch will leave a dent, because aluminum that is used in car manufacturing isn’t the same as in aluminum cans. It is much more durable and heavy duty than that. And aluminum also is much more resistant to rust than steel is, so aluminum could be the solution that automotive industry has been searching to solve the vehicle corrosion problem. Again lowering the costs you need to pay removing rusting or keeping your car corrosion free.

But where does aluminum recycling fits into all this? Well it is a well-known fact that aluminum can be recycled unlimited amount of times. That goes for all aluminum, including the heavy duty kind. And if aluminum will indeed replace steel as the most commonly used material in automotive design, then no doubt aluminum recycling will grow as an industry, too. It already is quite good business, because it doesn’t take that much resources to recycle aluminum, right now probably the most aluminum that is recycled comes from aluminum cans. But in the future this aluminum could come from different car parts, increasing the volume of recycled aluminum and earning more money than ever. Additionally, vehicle manufacturers would be able to cut down on costs, because recycling aluminum is cheaper than making it anew, maybe that way lowering car costs in the future, too, and therefore making automotive industry more profit, because more people will be able to afford new cars.

So just think of the possibilities aluminum as a metal could unlock for automotive industry as well as the recycling industry, if car manufacturers would start using it in automobile production. Your can would be lighter, it would consume less fuel therefore need less of it, letting you save money, you would need to repair it less often and these repairs would be easier than ever. Doesn’t that sounds good?