Ferrari and BMW Join Shift from Copper to Aluminum Wiring
In a significant industry development, Ferrari and BMW are expanding the use of aluminum wiring in their vehicles, joining Tesla and several Chinese EV makers in the shift away from traditional copper conductors .
Drivers of the Shift:
Cost: Copper prices have climbed close to $15,000 per metric ton, while aluminum trades at approximately $3,100 per ton — roughly one-quarter the cost
Weight Reduction: Aluminum is about one-third as heavy as copper. Ferrari reports the switch can save up to 20% of total wiring weight
EV Efficiency: Weight reduction directly improves range and performance in electric and hybrid vehicles
Automaker Adoption:
Ferrari: Began using aluminum power cables on the 296 hybrid last year, expanding to the Luce (its first EV) and other models
BMW: First used aluminum conductors in the 1 Series in 2011, now widely adopted across its latest eDrive electric technology platform
Tesla: Early mover, using aluminum wiring in Model Y (2019) and Cybertruck
Stellantis: Reportedly begun replacing copper with aluminum, though the automaker declined to comment
Engineering Trade-Offs: Aluminum's conductivity is only 61% of copper's, requiring larger wire sizes (approximately 1.6×) to carry the same current . Despite this, the weight savings and cost advantages make aluminum increasingly attractive in the right applications .
