What are the methods for vehicle lightweighting?

[OElliana]

There are several methods for vehicle lightweighting: 1. Reduce material usage: Continuously optimize mainstream vehicle models while maintaining the main dimensional parameters, improve the overall structural strength, and reduce material consumption. 2. Use lightweight materials: Such as aluminum, magnesium, ceramics, plastics, fiberglass, or carbon fiber composites; adopt a unibody structure and reduce the thickness of body panels. 3. Utilize computer-aided structural design: Such as finite element analysis and localized reinforcement design. Based on ensuring stable performance improvement, design energy-saving components and continuously optimize the vehicle model.

[McMargaret]

I think there are quite a few approaches to automotive lightweighting these days, with manufacturers trying every way to reduce weight. The most straightforward method is material substitution—the hood of my car is made of aluminum alloy, which is almost one-third lighter than steel, making the front end feel less heavy when driving. Doors and trunk lids are also commonly switched to aluminum materials, and now even parts of the chassis use high-strength steel, maintaining strength while saving significant weight. Plastic components are becoming more reliable too—the fender I replaced the other day is made of composite plastic, both lightweight and scratch-resistant. But the real focus is on the unseen areas: wiring harnesses switched to all-aluminum conductors, thinner heat sinks, and seat frames changed from solid to honeycomb structures. All these quietly reduce the overall vehicle weight—my friend’s car felt more responsive after switching to lightweight alloy wheels. Of course, automakers have to balance costs, so mainstream family cars focus on critical areas, while top-tier sports cars dare to use premium materials like carbon fiber extensively.

[MirandaDella]

Structural optimization is a smart approach to lightweighting. We always think about how to achieve the target strength with the least material during design, such as making brackets hollow or honeycombed, keeping the load-bearing structure while removing excess parts. Part consolidation is also a clever trick—like the dashboard bracket I worked on, which originally had over thirty parts but is now die-cast into a single piece, saving the weight of fasteners and improving precision. 3D printing technology offers even more flexibility now, allowing us to thicken stress points directly while keeping other areas thinner. A recent project redesigned the B-pillar with a variable cross-section design—thick enough in crash zones and thinner at both ends—saving two kilograms with this change alone. For EVs, where weight reduction is most critical, we designed the liquid cooling channels as internal passages in the frame, eliminating the weight of an entire standalone cooling system.

[DelAustin]

The new manufacturing processes are highly effective in weight reduction. Hot stamping technology presses steel plates into U-shaped channels at high temperatures, doubling their strength so thinner materials can be used. The most impressive technique in our workshop is laser welding, which precisely joins aluminum sheets of varying thicknesses into a single door panel—thickening where needed and thinning elsewhere. There's also integrated die-casting, transforming nearly a hundred rear underbody parts into a single aluminum alloy casting, saving over 500 welding points. Innovations in composite materials include sandwiching aluminum honeycomb cores between carbon fiber layers during lamination, achieving near-full-carbon performance at lower costs.