Steel Offers Durable, Cost-Effective Solutions for Automotive Vehicles

Steel currently makes up about 54 percent of the average vehicle. Americans depend on automobiles to keep families safe. In addition to its strength, durability and dependability, steel is also the key to recycling a car at the end of its long life — as steel is continuously recyclable.

The American Iron and Steel Institute’s (AISI) Automotive Program continues to be the catalyst for engaging the steel industry, the automotive industry and federal partners (such as the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation) to conduct research, provide technology transfer and promote steel-intensive solutions in the auto market.

The American steel industry continues to invest in advanced materials and manufacturing technologies that have led to the introduction of a wide variety of new automotive steels.  These advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) are strong, lighter, and produced with light life cycle impact, helping automakers decrease a vehicle’s life-long carbon footprint.  This helps auto manufacturers to reduce the mass of vehicles while maintaining safety standards — thereby increasing fuel economy and reducing tailpipe emissions. The use of current grades of AHSS can reduce a vehicle’s structural weight by as much as 25 percent and can cut total life cycle CO₂ emissions by up to 15 percent more than any other automotive material.

With more than 200 steel grades available, today’s products are six times stronger than those of a decade ago. The steel industry continues to innovate by introducing new grades and manufacturing processes in support of future mobility, which promises to revolutionize the transportation industry through the proliferation of electrified, connected, and shared autonomous vehicles.

As electric vehicles become more commonplace and battery efficiencies improve, use of advanced grades of steel enable reduced weight resulting in a greater range from a single electrical charge.

The American steel industry, working with its auto industry partners, continues to revolutionize the safety and durability of cars, while reducing environmental impacts.  For more information, enter here.