Aluminium for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (Al-ULEV)

Constellium has developed innovative and ground breaking high strength aluminium extrusion alloys for use in light weight crash resistant vehicle structures for integration of battery enclosures into ultra low emissions vehicles (ULEVs). The extrusions can form both the protective structures and can provide novel thermal management systems which can control battery operating temperatures to precise levels reducing the risk of thermal runaway and optimising battery pack operating temperatures during the urban cycle to reduce energy losses. This provides significant advantages in manufacturing costs/set up time whilst meeting current legislative requirements, providing the opportunity to define new standards of safety, crash management and energy efficiency. Both energy and power density of battery systems are increased by reducing battery enclosure weight by using an aluminium extrusion intensive architecture, combining innovative extrusion shape design and advanced manufacturing processes with the high strength aluminium extrusion alloys. The project aims to take another major step with disruptive high strength aluminium extrusion alloys and process technology, coupled with bespoke section design for the manufacture of vehicle integration structures and battery enclosures for a new generation of lightweight hybrid and electric vehicles for the UK market that will have a major impact on the UK government's carbon reduction targets for the UK vehicle fleet. The project will design, develop extruded components for prototype vehicle integration systems and for battery enclosures for Gordon Murray Design for an electric vehicle based on the aluminium intensive version of their i-Stream vehicle under development in the IUK CAAHS project. The second development in the project will be for vehicle integration and battery box enclosures, for the JLR I-Pace. The longer term intention is to establish a UK based manufacturing facility for world leading cost efficient aluminium extruded sections based on the intensive use of fully recyclable aluminium alloys in order to provide an on-shore resource for both extrusion and ULEV component manufacture.