Pittsburgh aluminium pioneer Alcoa Corporation announced last week that it has been chose by German automaker Audi AG to supply sustainable aluminium wheels for its e-tron GT electric vehicle.
Alcoa said it will be supplying low-carbon aluminium to RONAL Group, who will be using both low-carbon and zero-carbon aluminium products from the smelter.
Tim Reyes, Alcoa’s Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President, said it is happy to be part of the process of lowering carbon output in a related press release.
“Alcoa’s DNA is built on discovering the process that made aluminum a part of our everyday lives, and we’re proud to help the industry take another step forward to lower the carbon footprint of global supply chains. Our partnership with the RONAL GROUP in supplying Audi with sustainable solutions helps make an innovative vehicle even more exciting for consumers.”
RONAL will produce the specially weight-optimized wheels at its plant in Landau, Germany.
“For the RONAL GROUP, sustainability means ensuring the long-term success of the company while protecting our natural livelihood for the people of today and future generations,” noted RONAL’s Executive Vice President Group Sales Patrick Lämmli.
Marco Philippi, Audi AG’s Head of Procurement Strategy, elaborated upon the reasoning behind choosing Alcoa’s low- and zero-carbon aluminium products.
“Aluminum is the focus of our CO2 program because producing this material requires a high energy input. We are therefore actively searching for innovative processes that help reduce CO2 emissions as early as possible in the creation process. The process created by ELYSIS is promising because it already takes effect in the raw material processing phase. These kinds of innovations allow us to increase our sustainability performance in the supply chain and ensure that our models arrive at the customers with a smaller carbon footprint.”
All three firms are members of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), with Alcoa’s low- and zero-carbon products certified by the association.