Innovative steel applications for lightweight electric vehicle components

Innovations in steel grades and manufacturing processes have made it possible to create lightweight, high-performance components that meet the unique demands of EVs.

Why lightweight steel is critical for EVs

Energy efficiency

Reducing vehicle weight improves energy consumption and extends battery range, addressing a key limitation of EVs. Lightweight steel designs provide this benefit without compromising safety or performance.

Crash safety

High-strength steel (HSS) and ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) provide superior energy absorption during collisions. These materials meet stringent crash safety standards while reducing overall vehicle weight.

Sustainability

Steel is 100% recyclable, making it an eco-friendly material for EV production. The use of advanced steel grades aligns with the industry's sustainability goals and lifecycle management principles.

Key innovations in steel for EV components

Advanced high-strength steel (AHSS)

Applications: Body structures, battery enclosures, and chassis.

Advantages: Offers tensile strengths of 500–1500 MPa and high energy absorption during impacts.

Innovations: AHSS grades like dual-phase and martensitic steel improve ductility while maintaining strength.

Ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS)

Applications: Structural components like crash beams and side rails.

Advantages: With tensile strengths above 1500 MPa, UHSS reduces thickness and weight without sacrificing rigidity.

Electrical steel

Applications: Electric motor laminations and stator cores.

Advantages: Specialised grades of electrical steel minimise energy losses in motors, enhancing efficiency.

Technical specification: Silicon-enriched electrical steel offers low core losses (<2 W/kg at 50 Hz).

Press-hardened steel (PHS)

Applications: Roof rails, B-pillars, and structural reinforcements.

Advantages: Combines high strength with complex geometries through hot stamping processes.

Steel for battery enclosures

Applications: Protective casings for lithium-ion batteries.

Innovations: Multi-material enclosures combining AHSS for structural strength and aluminium for weight reduction.

Advanced manufacturing processes for steel components

Hot stamping

Enhances the strength of components while enabling complex designs.

Used for structural parts like side-impact beams and pillars.

Laser welding

Combines different steel grades seamlessly, optimising strength and weight.

Applied in joining battery housings and body frames.

Hydroforming

Forms hollow steel components with intricate shapes and consistent thickness.

Ideal for lightweight chassis and suspension systems.

3D printing (additive manufacturing)

Used for prototyping lightweight steel components.

Allows customisation of parts like cooling channels in battery enclosures. 

Applications of lightweight steel in EV components

Battery enclosures

Requirements: Thermal conductivity, impact resistance, and weight reduction.

Solutions: High-strength steel provides safety against impact while maintaining thermal management properties.

Electric motors

Requirements: Low magnetic losses and high efficiency.

Solutions: Electrical steel laminations with optimised grain orientation.

Body structure

Requirements: Crash resistance, rigidity, and low weight.

Solutions: AHSS and UHSS grades integrated with laser-welded blanks.

Chassis and suspension systems

Requirements: Strength under dynamic loads and durability.

Solutions: Hot-formed and hydroformed steel components.

Future directions in steel for EVs

Third-generation AHSS

Offers enhanced ductility and strength for improved design flexibility.

Nano-engineered steel

Incorporates nanostructures to improve wear resistance and fatigue life.

Eco-friendly coatings

Advances in corrosion-resistant coatings reduce the need for frequent maintenance.

Integration with composites

Steel-composite hybrids for battery trays and body structures enhance weight reduction while maintaining strength.