Automotive weight reduction: Ultrahigh-strength steels and composites

How CO₂ emissions can be reduced with steel

The automotive industry faces a number of major challenges, the greatest of which is to cut CO₂ emissions. Automotive weight reduction with steel makes an important contribution to this, especially because it can be achieved ecologically and economically. This makes it a practicable solution even for small and mid-size vehicles where cost pressure is high – i.e. the majority of all cars. Our developers make optimum use of the possibilities offered by this material.

First of all, that means developing ultrahigh-strength steels that enable automotive engineers to design thinner and thus lighter parts to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. But as well as being very strong, these steels must also be readily formable. For example there are steels that only achieve their final high strength during forming at the OEM’s plant. Other steels are initially readily formable and then achieve high strength through the high temperatures of the painting process.