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Many car manufacturers have already realized that aluminium may be the best material for the production of vehicles not only because it is lightweight, strong, corrosion-resistant and reliable, but also because it is a sustainable metal that allows the manufacturers to significantly cut the carbon footprint of their cars.
9 September, 2020
One company that made aluminium a part of its design and construction philosophy a long time ago is Jaguar.
Ассording to the official website, "the car producer has a long-term relationship with this metal as the first Jaguar XK120s in the 1940s used aluminium panels, while the C-Type and D-Type racers that dominated Le Mans in the 1950s, and the lightweight E-Type of the 1960s, were pioneers in aluminium chassis and body design." Jaguar believes that the key advantage of aluminium is that "it's a third of the weight of the equivalent amount of steel. This gives us the ability to build a chassis that is significantly lighter than a steel counterpart, helping to improve fuel economy, lower emissions and provide a more dynamic driving experience. Every 100kg saved with an aluminium chassis helps to reduce the vehicle's CO2 emissions by 9g/km, and fuel usage during its lifespan by up to 800 litres. Our aluminium philosophy is not just about saving weight, though – it's also about creating designs that are stiffer, safer, stronger and more reliable."

However, Jaguar has found even more benefits from using aluminium in its production process – the metal can be recycled infinitely without losing its properties which means it can cut the carbon footprint of vehicles. JLR is now eager to put the material back into the manufacturing process, to assist with the circular economy while reducing emissions. With that in mind, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed that its ongoing REALITY project to recover and reuse aluminium from drinks cans and end-of-life JLR vehicles into new car products could reduce its carbon emissions by up to 26%.
JLR's lead project manager for REALITY Gaëlle Guillaume said: "This project has allowed us, for the first time, to recover premium automotive-grade aluminium from scrapped vehicles and re-use its unique properties. This has the potential to reduce the CO2 impact of the production process as well as helping us re-use even more aluminium. As we move into an autonomous, connected and electrified future, with the potential of shared fleets being de-commissioned en masse, it could allow Jaguar Land Rover to engineer this closed-loop recycling alloy into tight production schedules to further improve efficiency and environmental benefits."
The REALITY programme is a big part of the JLR's REALCAR project that was launched in 2008 to enable the collection and recycling of thousands of tonnes of aluminium generated in the JLR manufacturing processes.

JLR uses 180,000 tonnes of aluminium annually; globally, around 80 million tonnes are produced each year.

For JLR, the use of recycled aluminium forms a key part of the Destination Zero climate strategy. JLR has reduced operational emissions per vehicle by 50% since 2007 and reached a target of carbon neutral operations two years ahead of schedule.

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