Steel Sees Future in Electric Vehicles

Future automotive trends reinforce the role of steel, says Greg Ludkovsky, vice president of global R&D for ArcelorMittal. In the following commentary, Ludkovsky contends that steel offers the optimal balance of strength, performance and mass reduction with the least impact on the environment compared to aluminum and other materials:

While sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are still far behind conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, BEV technology and sales continue to improve at a rapid pace. Globally, BEV sales exceeded one million units in 2017 compared to just 773,600 in 2016. Global BEV sales are expected to reach two million units in 2018 and account for 25 percent of all car sales by 2025. While vehicle makeup will look very different in 2025 compared to today, one constant that will remain is the critical role that steel plays in vehicle design.