BMW Group has entered into an agreement with aluminum producer Rio Tinto to source aluminum for its electric vehicles through an electrolysis procedure that uses electricity from hydropower.
Aluminum is lightweight, robust and infinitely recyclable, making it an ideal material for the lightweight design of electrified vehicles, BMW Group said. The production of aluminum typically generates huge amounts of carbon emissions, but the procedure Rio Tinto developed with a number of partners eliminates all carbon emissions generated during the smelting process, according to a release.
The BMW Group entered into this agreement with a view to reducing its supply chain’s carbon footprint. “We want to be the first automotive manufacturer in the world to use aluminum in series production, which does not generate any direct carbon emissions in the smelting process,” said Joachim Post, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for purchasing and the supplier network.
“Aluminum is a firm fixture in the intelligent mixed construction approach of the BMW Group,” the company said. But within the supply chain for a mid-size fully electric car, around a quarter of the carbon emissions are caused by the metal. The ELYSIS process developed for producing aluminum eliminates all process-related carbon emissions through the use of carbon-free anodes and was tested on an industrial scale for the first time in 2021.
In addition to the zero-carbon smelting process, several other criteria were decisive for the collaboration, BMW Group said:
Access to electricity from renewable sources via at least six local hydroelectric power plants in Quebec,
A high proportion of secondary materials
Full transparency in the supply chain through blockchain technology from the bauxite mine to the factory. All factories involved in the process chain are Aluminium Stewardship Initiative-certified and have comprehensive safeguarding against ESG risks.
Taking into account all process-related savings, this procedure reduces carbon emissions by 70% compared to conventional aluminum manufacturing. The BMW Group intends to procure this significantly reduced-carbon aluminum from 2024. The planned supply volume will initially be used exclusively in automotive production at the BMW Group plant in Spartanburg, S.C., where it will be used to make body parts such as car bonnets.
Rio Tinto is Canada’s largest private producer of hydroelectricity. Its seven hydroelectric facilities, located in Quebec and British Columbia, allow the company’s aluminum smelters to position themselves favorably in the industry, according to a press release.
