LS C&S expands aluminum material biz for EV components

An employee checks aluminum wires at an LS C&S plant in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province. Courtesy of LS C&S

LS C&S is expanding its new aluminum material business with its affiliate LS Alsco, it said Friday.

Early this month, the company announced that its new high-strength aluminum material has been assigned an alloy number, AA8031, by the Aluminum Association (AA) of the U.S. The material has improved malleability and enhanced strength of over 40 percent compared to traditional aluminum materials, which have been criticized for their weakness. Another weakness of aluminum, in which conductivity drops when strength is enhanced, has also been improved.

LS C&S projects that aluminum will replace copper in industries where lighter weight is important, such as the car industry, since aluminum is lighter than copper and the market for aluminum will grow in the future.

Changing the conductor in automotive wiring from copper to aluminum reduces wire weight by more than 40 percent. So the wire weight of approximately 25 kilograms per vehicle can be reduced to around 15 kilograms, resulting in improved fuel efficiency.

The company plans to expand its supply of aluminum materials for electric cars and wind power generators through its high-strength aluminum material specialist company LS Alsco.

“Unlike patents, commercialization and the time required for commercialization serves as important review criteria for AA, which makes it difficult to obtain an alloy number,” said Kim Sang-gyeom, a researcher at the LS C&S Base Technology Research Center. “AA8031 has been commercialized for wires in vehicles manufactured by Hyundai and Kia since 2019 and its quality has been proven.”

AA is an institution that provides global standards for corporations and policymakers. Over 500 alloy numbers have been assigned worldwide, and 20 alloy numbers have been assigned in Asia with Korea, Japan, and China having three, 14 and three, respectively. All three alloy numbers assigned to Korea, including AA8031, belong to LS C&S. (Advertorial)