STEEL VS AL: Posco supplies lighter steel for Renault concept car

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The Eolab prototype, which was officially launched by the French car manufacturer at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, is said to have achieved a low fuel consumption of 1 litre per 100km with carbon emissions of only 22g of CO2 per km.

“Posco contributed significantly to [lightweighting of] the car body by [using] new steel grades [including its] 900TWIP steel and 2000HPF steel,” the South Korean steelmaker said on Monday October 6.

The concept hybrid car was produced with the aim of focusing on improved fuel efficiency and reduced weight as Renault prepares to meet the “environmental regulatory changes sweeping [across] the European automobile industry”, Posco said.

The South Korean steelmaker has also supplied a magnesium panel, which was used on the roof of the vehicle.

Posco was the only steel producer to be part of the project, which had a total of four other European partners.

According to Renault, the Eolab prototype implements “a hundred or so of the advanced technologies that Renault cars will be offering motorists in the years to come”.

Vehicle weight was reduced by 400kg as a multi-material body shell combining steel, aluminium and composites was used in the prototype, Renault said.

“These weight savings create a virtuous circle, since they make it possible to reduce the size and thus the cost of prototype sub-systems – [such as] engine, battery, wheels [and] brakes – and thereby [offset] the price of the more costly materials selected,” Renault said.

Renault expects to produce a version of the Eolab in commercial quantities within the next decade.

Find out which metal has the upper hand in our series of articles and videos exploring the issue of Steel vs aluminium.