Can aluminium make EVs lighter and cheaper? Stellantis study cuts body mass by 41%

Aluminium-intensive vehicle design could reduce electric vehicle (EV) weight, battery requirements and manufacturing complexity, according to a joint theoretical study by Stellantis and Alumobility. Using Stellantis’ STLA Medium platform as its reference, the study found that an optimised aluminium-based architecture could cut total vehicle mass by around 20 per cent and create the potential to reduce battery capacity by 15 per cent while maintaining equivalent range. Presented at EuroCarBody 2026 in Bad Nauheim, Germany, on October 22, the study examined how aluminium could be incorporated across the vehicle structure rather than simply replacing steel components on a like-for-like basis. The concept reduced body-in-white mass - the vehicle’s structural body before components such as...