Magnesium The Next Material For Lighter, More Efficient Cars

A car's mass affects virtually every aspect of its performance, handling and efficiency, and reducing it has become an all-encompassing pursuit for carmakers aiming to meet tough new fuel economy targets.High-strength steels, aluminum and even carbon fiber are now widely used, but the industry is also now turning to magnesium, previously considered too expensive and energy-intensive, in an effort to make our cars lighter.According to Wards Auto, the government has even stepped in to assist automakers in the development of cheaper magnesium components and accelerate technological development.The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) recently handed out $32 million in grants to aid research into lightweight vehicle technologies, with magnesium a primary concern.The material is around a quarter the weight of steel and only two thirds that of aluminum, but conversely, costs around three quarters more than steel and a third more than aluminum. Such cost concerns have minimized its use so far, and production isn't so green either.Most magnesium used around the globe is sourced from China. This not only pushes up the cost through import taxes, but draws heavily on China's largely coal-fired industry to produce--a pollution and carbon dioxide nightmare.Even in the U.S, most magnesium is produced in Utah, using electrolysis of molten brine to extract magnesium from the state's Great Salt Lake.Finding a way to extract magnesium without the significant environmental impact is a key goal--and over $2 million of the ARPA-E grant has gone to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to fund research into magnesium extraction from seawater. PNNL estimates its extraction method is 50 percent more efficient than current methods--lower heat, meaning lower energy use.

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