Ferrari and BMW are launching new models equipped with aluminum wiring light and economical, accelerating the transition from copper, the material that has been the most chosen for electrical circuits since the invention of the electric battery two centuries ago.
Similar decisions have been taken by Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers and reflect a broader trend of the sector. In the next few years, a even higher share of copper could be converted to aluminum due to the surge in copper prices because of his shortage and of the growing question coming from the renewable energy and data center sectors. Aluminum is much cheaper than copper: currently costs about $3.100 a ton, or about a quarter of the price of copper. JPMorgan he outlined one scenario where about 6% of annual copper demand could be replaced by aluminum by 2030, up from 2% this year. The forecasts on'global offer are lower than those on demand for over next decade.
Ferrari and BMW they declared that they had chosen thealuminum also for his lower weightThe Maranello-based company already uses aluminium for bodies, engines and chassis, but has declared to Reuters of having started using this lightweight metal for the power cables of his sports car hybrid 296, last year. Since then, Ferrari has introduced aluminum wiring in other models as well, including Luce, its first electric car launched last month. This solution saves up to 20% of the total weight of the wiring, Ferrari says. “We don't choose aluminum because it's cheaper, but because it offers better performance,” he said.
The German bmw It first used aluminum conductors in 2011 in its subcompact car series and has gradually extended the replacement to hybrid and electric vehicles. It currently uses a large number of aluminum wires in both high- and low-voltage systems in its latest electric vehicle technology. eDrive, launched last year. Also the world's fourth-largest automaker, Stellantis, recently started replacing copper cables with aluminum ones, he said. Reuters an industry source. Tesla It pioneered the use of aluminum in its electric vehicles, pioneering the use of giant aluminum melting machines to build even the simplest chassis components, even before it began using the metal for wiring in its Model Y in 2019 and, more recently, in its Cybertruck.
China on the front lines
The same Chinese government, the largest consumer of metals in the world, has encouraged businesses to switch to aluminum, and many have accepted the invitation, according to a programmatic document from March 2025 seen by ReutersAnalysts at consultancy Zhuochuang predict that by 2030 approximately 25-30% of the components currently made of copper, in terms of metal volume, could be replaced with aluminum in energy, automotive and household appliances sectors. Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers that have switched to aluminum wiring harness include Avatr and XPeng and Xiaomi said Terry Woychowski, president of engineering consultancy Caresoft Global, which disassembles vehicles and examines their components. Savings are crucial for electric vehicle companies in China, where price war It has squeezed profit margins to the bone. The sales director of Jonver, a Chinese supplier of electric vehicle components, noted an increase in sales of aluminum wiring harnesses, which this year account for about 30% of total revenue, compared to about 20% in 2023.
When is the best time to switch from copper to aluminum? The pros and cons
According to an investigation Reuters conducted on 18 car manufacturers, cable and air conditioning companies, metal producers and consulting firms they are switching to aluminum thanks to the much lower prices and comparable performance. The replacement of the Copper with aluminum it happened in waves, over the course of two decades, but prices record of copper at the end of January, with peaks near $15.000 per ton, have strengthened the case in favor of the switching to aluminum.
La decision it goes anyway calibrated according to the type of business and costs, experts say. Both metals They conduct electricity and heat, and with rising copper prices, aluminum becomes a more attractive substitute. However, while aluminum costs about a quarter of copper, it is not always as efficient as copper because it has only 61% of the conductivity of the red metal. This means that the aluminum conductors must be approximately 1,6 times bigger.
So companies evaluate from time to time the possibility of replace the two metals in some applications: when the copper-aluminum price ratio stands between 3,5 and 4,0 or higher. In January it reached a record 4,3 and is currently hovering around 4,2. In the transition, companies also face challenges costs to reorganize their own activities, so they make the switch only after careful analysis.
It should also be considered that the Copper it's about 3,3 times heavier of aluminum, which is why it makes the latter preferable especially for the cars and in particular for electric vehicles, where weight reduction translates into greater range.
There are some factors that go into it against companies' decisions to swap, including US tariffs and the huge amount of energy needed to produce aluminum, which translates into more greenhouse gas emissions.
More aluminum also in electrical cables. Eyes on giant Prysmian.
Although significant substitution has already occurred in the cable industry, it is expected that by 2030, global investments in electricity networks will amount to approximately 10 trillion euros, according to the French Nexans, the second largest cable manufacturer in the world.
The company plans a strong growth for both metals: Copper remains the go-to material for the most demanding applications, while aluminum is expected to capture a growing share of power grid investments due to its cost advantage and greater availability.
Prysmian, the Italian manufacturer of electrical cables, the largest in the world, has seen a gradual shift by its customers and currently uses about 40% aluminum by weight, an increase of 3 percentage points over the last five years, and 60% copper. “Grid resilience and data centers are expected to see strong growth in both categories,” the company said in a statement. Reuters.
Use in the energy sector
Energy Queensland, Queensland's state-owned electricity distributor, has been replacing copper cables with aluminum on its 210.000 km distribution network for several years as aging infrastructure reaches the end of its lifecycle, said spokeswoman Emma Oliveri. "Aluminum is cheaper, just as durable, lighter, and allows for the construction of longer spans during the laying of power lines.”
Heating and air conditioning
Daikin Industries, the world's largest air conditioner manufacturer, said in its 2025 annual report that it plans to "maximize cost savings by switching from copper to aluminum." The U.S. Lennox International has developed a technology to replace copper coils with aluminum ones in air conditioners, heat pumps and evaporator coils, reducing the risk of corrosion and decreasing the weight of the models by up to 50 pounds, as reported on its website. US Carrier Global Since 2023, it has switched to aluminum coil technology for all its air conditioning and heat pump models for coastal areas to improve their corrosion resistance, as reported on its website. The Norwegian aluminum producer also Hydro He said sales of aluminum heating and air conditioning pipes, used as a substitute for copper, have grown steadily in recent years, Reuters reports.
