If you’re from Pittsburgh, you may want to sit down for this one: global EV sales leader BYD claims the aluminum frame that underpins its new Yangwang U8L SUV passes a brutal, 12 ton lift test – despite weighing over 100 lbs. less than a comparable steel frame.
When it comes to electric cars, every unnecessary pound is means less range, less performance, and less time spent actually driving, with more time spent charging. That’s why engineers from Tesla, Porsche, Volvo, and literally every other EV brand have invested years of research looking for ways to replace traditional steel structures with lighter materials without giving an inch on safety. Now, it seems like BYD has cracked it thanks to a new, low-pressure casting process developed by China’s rapidly expanding aerospace industry.
BYD engineers assigned to the U8L project were tasked with developing a full-size vehicle frame that would float offer the strength and corrosion resistance of conventional steel without the associated weight penalty, eventually settling on aerospace-grade 6-series and 7-series aluminum after testing a number of hot-formed steel and titanium alloys.
Big casting, not Giga Casting
The real news here isn’t the aluminum itself, though – it’s the low-pressure casting process co-developed by BYD and aerospace supplier Hangte, that slowly pushes the metal upward into the mold, resulting in fewer voids, less turbulence, and a denser finished structure. That’s significantly different to the Giga Press casting machines developed by the Italian Idra Group and eventually made famous by Tesla.
While Hantek has used similar processes to cast aerospace components in aluminum, this is the first time this process is being used in a car. And, frankly, the results speak for themselves.
The resulting process became the first domestic application of integrated low-pressure casting technology for a large vehicle frame. Parts count fell from 251 components to 119, while 67 rear-frame parts were consolidated into a single casting … weld length dropped from approximately 100 meters to 9 meters, significantly reducing potential fatigue and deformation points.
BYD claims the U8L is the first vehicle in the industry to pass a 12-ton lifting test using this type of integrated frame structure, as well – adding that, while weight fell 56 kg (~123 lbs.), the big SUV’s torsional rigidity is over 50% better (read: stiffer) than similarly sized SUV frames.
That all seems to be true, too. Remember when BYD dropped a tree on the Yangwang UL8 to see what would happen?
I sure do. And it’s led me to believe that the biggest barrier to more widespread adoption of similar cold-cast aluminum vehicle technology on this side of the Pacific will be convincing generations of pickup truck owners that “steel” doesn’t automatically stand for strength.
Let us know your take in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: BYD, via CarNewsChina.
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