With the global promotion of carbon neutrality and the rapid development of the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry, lightweight materials have become a key breakthrough for improving vehicle performance, extending battery life and reducing energy consumption. Among them, new energy vehicle aluminum profiles, with their excellent comprehensive performance, have gradually become an indispensable core component in NEV manufacturing, covering multiple key parts of the vehicle and injecting strong momentum into the green transformation of the automotive industry. Different from traditional fuel vehicles, NEVs rely on batteries as their core power source, and the weight of the vehicle directly affects battery life and energy efficiency. Aluminum profiles have inherent advantages in lightweight applications: the density of aluminum is only 1/3 of that of steel, and under the premise of ensuring structural strength, using aluminum profiles instead of steel can reduce the overall weight of the vehicle by 15%-20%, thereby increasing the cruising range by 5%-10% — a crucial improvement for solving the “range anxiety” of NEV users. In addition, aluminum profiles have excellent thermal conductivity, which is 3 times that of steel, making them ideal for heat dissipation components of NEV battery packs, effectively reducing battery operating temperature, extending battery service life by 2-3 times, and reducing the risk of thermal runaway. The application of new energy vehicle aluminum profiles covers almost all key parts of the vehicle. In the body structure, 6016 aluminum alloy profiles are widely used in door panels, hoods and trunk lids due to their high tensile strength and excellent bake hardening performance, achieving a weight reduction of more than 40% while meeting anti-dent requirements; high-strength 7000 series aluminum profiles are used in body frames and chassis components, ensuring structural rigidity and collision safety. In the battery system, 3003 aluminum profiles are used for battery casings, 5083 profiles for side plates, and 6061 profiles for chassis pallets, forming a lightweight and high-strength battery protection structure; aluminum profiles are also used in battery cooling pipelines to improve heat dissipation efficiency by 20%. In addition, aluminum profiles are also applied to motor casings, electronic control modules, anti-collision beams and other components, further optimizing vehicle performance — for example, aluminum motor casings can reduce the operating temperature of the motor by 15℃ and improve motor efficiency by 3%-5%. With the continuous upgrading of NEV technology, the demand for aluminum profiles is also moving towards high performance and customization. Major manufacturers are constantly optimizing alloy formulas and extrusion processes: adding strontium elements to refine grains, improving the surface finish and strength of profiles; using high-precision extrusion equipment to produce complex cross-section profiles that adapt to the integrated design of vehicle parts; promoting the application of recycled aluminum technology, which can reduce carbon emissions by 95% compared with primary aluminum, in line with the green development concept of the industry. It is predicted that the global demand for automotive aluminum profiles will maintain a compound annual growth rate of 10%, and the proportion of NEV applications will exceed 60%, showing broad market prospects.
