High-strength steels (AHSS) and smart solutions can be deployed to meet the weight, safety, cost, and sustainability performance targets of EV producers

• S-in motion studies in the body-in-white (BIW) and
• The battery pack of electric vehicles.

Lightweight remains a major topic for BIW design

Weight is only now emerging as consideration for EVs. In the past, weight-saving for BEVs was not really seen as very important, mainly because energy could be recovered during braking. Today, BEV manufacturers are convinced that lightweight remains a major topic for BIW design.”

What are the OEMs strategies : 

• To increase range, often by maximizing the space available for batteries.
• That limits the space for energy absorption in the case of a crash.
• As a result, the anti-intrusion performance of the vehicle’s body sides must be reinforced strongly to protect passengers in a side crash.
• The S-in motion Battery Pack, a roll-formable martensitic AHSS, as the best and most cost-effective solution for these applications.

Steel advantages :

• Steel has the lowest CO₂-eq per part compared to alternative materials, including aluminum.
• For the BIW, the CO₂ emissions associated with an automotive part made of AHSS are less than half of those of an equivalent aluminum part, and less than a third of a part made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic.
• Steel is 100 percent recyclable. That means steel will remain the essential material in a sustainable circular economy because of its life cycle analysis (LCA) benefits.”

Source: ArcelorMittal