Two recent Tesla stories sit at opposite ends of the range. Tesla Model 3 is set to benefit from cost-focused Cybercab inverter technology, announced on November 1 2026. The flying car, Tesla Roadster, uses aluminum in its battery cells and underbody protection, reinforcing power delivery, thermal management and lightweight construction. The two models reveal how aluminum can serve very different engineering priorities, from making electric vehicles (EVs) more affordable to helping them deliver extraordinary performance. Tesla Model 3: the everyday car gets Cybercab hardware Nick Verzini, Tesla’s Head of Drive Unit Engineering, mentioned on a Munro Live factory tour that a new printed circuit board assembly and power stage from the Cybercab’s inverter will enter Model 3 production in...
Aluminum foil is getting a seasonal makeover as Reynolds Wrap introduces its limited-edition Snowflakes Fun Foil, bringing decorative appeal to everyday kitchen tasks ahead of the holiday season. Featuring an embossed snowflake pattern, the product combines the familiar functionality of aluminum foil with a festive appearance suited to food wrapping, holiday entertaining and homemade gifts. The new design allows consumers to use Reynolds Wrap foil for more than routine food storage, adding a decorative touch to meal preparation and presentation. Its winter-inspired pattern makes it suitable for covering dishes, preserving leftovers, packaging baked treats and creating festive crafts. Despite its seasonal appearance, Snowflakes Fun Foil retains the practical functionality of conventional...
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Balustrade specialist Q-railing has reportedly manufactured a brand-new high-grade aluminium railing system called Easy Alu. It has a modern look and is available with various finishes and custom options. The Easy Alu aluminium parts, available with a brushed anodised finish, mill finish, or powder-coating in any RAL colour, are convenient to assemble into ready-to-install modules before they are even at the project site. They can be pre-assembled by yourself or by the company. Either way, they are easy to work within tight time slots for the final installation. Q-railing Product Manager Jeffrey Meijer said, “We know that aluminium railings aren't new to the market. People are familiar with benefits such as attractive pricing and the low weight of components, but we wanted to offer...
China’s production of automobiles came in at 2.59 million units in November. This was up 13% month-on-month and 3.8% year-on-year, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said on Tuesday, 10 December 2019. Auto sales in China stood at 2.46 million units in November, with a month-on-month increase of 7.6%. The auto sales dropped 3.6% year-on-year, smaller than a decline of 4% in the previous month. In the first eleven months of 2019, automobiles production amounted to 23.04 million units, down 9% year on year, while auto sales fell 9.1% to 23.11 million units. Production of new energy vehicles fell 36.9% from a year earlier to 110,000 units last month. NEVs sales also dropped by 43.7% year-on-year to 95,000 units. Sales of pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids...
China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) sales in November fell year-on-year by 41.7 per cent to 79,000 units, as reported by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Monday, December 9. This marks the fifth consecutive month of decline in new energy vehicle sales since the sharp cut on NEV subsidies went into effect in late June. However, on monthly basis, the sales of new energy vehicles increased from 66,000 units in October, which in September was even lower by 1 per cent from the succeeding year. During January-November, China’s NEV sales amounted to 923,000 units, up 7.7 per cent from the same period last year. China’s retail sales of passenger vehicles also declined for the fifth straight month in November by about 4.1 per cent from a year earlier to 1.94 million units, according to...
Carl Friedrik unveils a new suitcase, the Carry-on, featuring a rigid aluminium frame and Italian leather detailing, which represents nothing less than style yet practical designing. The case, which is carry-on sized, has a dark grey polycarbonate shell and leather detailing offered in cognac, chocolate, and black. The handle is made of vegetable-tanned Vachetta leather that promises to age over time and develop a tasteful patina on more usage. Inside the suitcase, there is a large zip compartment on one side and compression straps on the other. That way, the users can keep their clean and dirty clothes separate from each other. There are also an optional and removable battery slots inside the case that provide power through a USB port located behind the deployable handle to enable users...
Aparna-Craft, a joint venture between Aparna Enterprises, and Craft Holdings, Hong Kong, has forayed into premium aluminium window and door systems with the launch of its brand Alteza. Alteza will initially support the growing demand for these products in the Southern and Western markets, particularly Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Alteza will provide end-to-end services (designing, manufacturing, installation and post-sales support for high-end aluminium window and door systems. Mr. Ashwin Reddy, Managing Director, Aparna Enterprises Limited, said, “Owing to the durability and malleability of aluminium as a premium material, aluminium window and door systems are fast becoming the preferred solution in India. The market for high-end aluminium window and door systems in India is pegged...
Despite the continuous drop in sales of electrified vehicles after the subsidy cut in June, Beijing continued its push on the automakers towards building more electric vehicles. The message was conveyed in the draft “development” plan of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for the domestic electrified vehicle industry covering 2021-35. Under the plan, the ministry, which regulates the domestic auto industry, expects EVs to account for 25 percent of annual new light-vehicle sales in 2025, up from the 20 percent target it set in a similar plan in 2017. The ministry expects EVs to account for 25% of annual new light-vehicle sales in 2025, up from the earlier target of 20%. The target would be a giant leap from the current share of electrified vehicles in China. In the first...
Hindalco Industries Limited has handed over India’s first all-aluminium freight trailer in Rajasthan to Kamal Exim Pvt. Ltd., a leading Jaipur-based transporter of UltraTech Cement Limited. The 34-foot long aluminium freight trailer can ferry a wide range of materials such as cement, alumina, fly ash, grains, flour, steel coils and cylinders. Image for representation purpose only Satish Pai, MD, Hindalco Industries Limited said, “Hindalco’s aluminium trailer is one of our big initiatives for India’s logistics and freight industry. At Hindalco, sustainability is integral to our business and this is a significant step to introduce sustainable, engineered transport solutions for the logistics industry. We are happy to commence our journey with UltraTech Cement and hand over our first...
Kingston Automation Technology, a Kingston based business owned by mother-son duo has modernized the aluminium container production process in order to make aluminium bottles more convenient and a viable alternative to plastic bottles. “It was important that we redesign these lines,” owner Ben Pilon said. “These are generally, around the world, 60- or 70-year-old technology. We wanted to make them smaller. Kingston Automation Technology is likely to produce about 75 million containers in 2020 and create about 30 jobs at its Montreal location. The company’s patented blow moulding technology can create easily recyclable and reusable aluminium containers in comparison to plastic or glass. They are easy to produce and transport, and more cost effective than traditional aluminium bottles. “Our...
According to researcher Niklas Lindahl from the Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology, aluminium air batteries (AIBs), which is in an R&D phase now, will be at per with lithium-ion batteries in 10 to 15 years’ time and substitute them in many applications. Once industrial scale manufacturing starts, AIBs would provide a better, cheaper and less environmentally harmfull charge carrier than lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), Lindahl added. Researchers from Swedish Chalmers University of Technology and the National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana, Slovenia are working to resolve the issues that are stopping commercial use of AIBs. The team has recently made a breakthrough by making batteries with twice the energy density of available AIBs. While LIBs use scarce graphite,...
According to a recent report, the BMW group is investing 400 million euros in restructuring its Dingolfing vehicle plant for the production of electric vehicles, including the highly automated BMW iNEXT. The update of the plant should be done by 2021 and the BMW iNEXT will be the first pure electric vehicle produced in Dingolfing. According to BMW, the Dingolfing plant after the revamp will be capable of producing the right mix of fully-electric vehicles, plug-in hydbrids and models with combustion engines to suit demand on a single assembly line. So, this investment is not only for the transmission to e-mobility but also for standard production of highly-automated vehicles. Milan Nedeljkovic, member of the board of management, BMW said: “Thanks to our flexible production structures, our...
Aluminium cans are the most recyclable packaging units till the end of their lifecycle without quality degradation, and that makes them the preferred packaging material for brands across industries, ahead of other materials like plastic and paper. Recently, the Can Manufacturers Institute pointed out the average aluminium cans in the US have a recycled content of 73%, whereas that in the plastic PET bottles is less than 10 per cent. Besides, other qualities such as lightweight, strong, affordable, easy to handle, and highly resistant to corrosion have contributed to the journey of aluminium cans turning into the most widely used containers. In 2018, the demand for aluminium cans was estimated to grow between 3.7 – 4 per cent, and that in the next five years by some 4 – 3.6 per cent CAGR....
PSA Group will start offering electrified versions of all new and retooled gasoline models in 2020, to be built at Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile. This is driven by the government’s push towards electrification. The first one to go on sale will be its next-generation Peugeot-badged 2008 with both a gasoline and battery version. According to PSA’s local partner Dongfeng Motor Group, the next-generation gasoline Peugeot-badged 2008 will become the first to go on sale, along with a battery version. This will be followed by the plug-in hybrid and gasoline variants for the retooled crossovers Peugeot 4008 and Citroen C5 Aircross. Dongfeng also said that the entire range of PSA Peugeot Citroen will be offered with an electrified version by 2023. Peugeot Citroen Dongfeng is a 50-50 JV...
CANPACK, a leading global manufacturer of aluminium beverage cans, announced the inauguration of its aluminium beverage can facility in Tocancipa, Colombia. The new plant will cater to the increasing demand for sustainable and innovative aluminium packaging. The aluminium beverage can facility is designed to deliver an annual production capacity of more than 1.3 billion cans, expandable to 1.9 billion. “Following the increased demand for sustainable and innovative aluminium packaging, the CANPACK Group has decided to accelerate its expansion into the South American market. This investment has been founded upon a strong and trust-based relationship we have established with AB InBev. We are looking forward to expanding our business operations in Colombia as we see great potential for growth...
A week ago, the aluminium can industry reportedly disproved Coca-Cola’s claim that recycled PET bottles have a much lower carbon footprint than the aluminium cans. The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) said the carbon footprint of both PET bottles and aluminium cans are comparable, claiming that aluminium cans perform significantly better than the plastic PET bottle on critical sustainability metrics, including recycling rate, recycled content and economic value. CMI President Robert Budway said, “The average aluminium can in the United States has a recycled content of 73%. This is significantly higher than plastic PET bottles in the United States, which have less than 10% recycled content.” He also said, “Most all recycled cans being transformed into new cans have a positive...
Auto sector representatives expect China’s new energy vehicle market to pick up in 2020 as automakers roll out new products. They reiterated the need for supportive government policies. China implemented production quota for automakers to support NEVs. Sales of NEVs- plug-in hybrids, battery-electric vehicles and those powered by hydrogen fuel cells jumped 62% last year with government support. However, sales of NEVs started dropping this year after China cut subsidies for NEVs substantially. In October 2019, NEV sales fell 45.6 per cent YoY. "For next year, we foresee the NEV market will continue to grow, maybe not as dramatic as it was in the past," Stephan Woellenstein, Volkswagen Group's chief in China told Reuters during Guangzhou auto show last week. A key part of the revival is...
Greencroft Bottling Company has collaborated with Ardagh Group to launch the UK’s first wine canning line in County Durham. Greencroft Bottling has invested over £2million in the new can filling line. The new can filling line will initially focus on the popular 200ml and 250ml slimline cans but will also handle Ardagh’s imminent new 187ml Wine Can format. Ardagh has provided technical support for the can line commissioning and set-up, as well as establishing criteria for wine compatibility testing, according to Greencroft Bottling. Greencroft Bottling said the wine canning line had gone live at Greencroft Bottling Company, boasting filler speed of 17,000 cans per hour and offering both still and carbonated filling for wine, soft drinks, and RTDs. Mark Satchwell, Managing Director of...
According to a report, Llanllyr Source has recently released its still and sparkling water in aluminium cans, as part of the commitment to a plastic-free future. The cans, look like classic Source glass water bottles, have been released in a 330ml single-serve format, available in the UK and US with a suggested retail price of $1.29/£0.99. Also, to ensure no plastic used in the primary or secondary packaging, the cans have been distributed in recyclable cardboard boxes. At first, the Welsh water and mixer brand had launched water in aluminium cans in the 2009, but following a trial, they were pulled from distribution in part as consumers had shown unacceptance towards water products in cans. “Given that our water comes from a sustainable source, we pioneered water in cans to ensure we had...
Emirates Global Aluminium announced that it has extended its UAE-made aluminium supply agreement with BMW. The new deal will see EGA’s aluminium supplies to BMW continue until 2022. A BMW representative visited EGA’s Jebel Ali site in Dubai to mark the start of the new agreement. EGA, one of the largest suppliers of foundry alloys to the automotive industry worldwide, announced that it is to significantly increase its supply of aluminium to BMW. EGA has been supplying BMW with aluminium since 2013. Abdulla Kalban said: “The BMW Group has high standards for the quality of metal as well as for sustainability and social responsibility. We are proud that we have maintained BMW Group’s trust over the past six years and that our relationship will continue into the next decade.” The company...
