Automakers embrace aluminum wiring
Ferrari and BMW Accelerate Shift to Aluminum Wiring Amid Rising Copper Prices.
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Key Points
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Ferrari's 296 hybrid began using aluminum wiring in 2025, achieving about a 15–20% reduction in total wiring weight.
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Ferrari’s Luce, the brand’s first electric vehicle, launched last month and uses aluminum wiring as part of the broader move away from copper.
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Aluminum wiring is priced around $3,100 per ton, about a quarter the price of copper, highlighting a direct cost advantage beyond weight savings.
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Copper prices have surged toward $15,000 per ton, reinforcing the case for switching to aluminum wiring.
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JPMorgan forecasts that roughly 2% of global copper demand could shift to aluminum this year as automakers expand aluminum wiring.
Ferrari and BMW are ditching copper wiring for aluminum in new car models, joining Tesla and Chinese automakers in a major industry shift. Ferrari says the switch cuts total wiring weight by up to 20%, while aluminum costs around $3,100 per ton — roughly a quarter of copper's price near $15,000 per ton, according to Reuters.
The move is driven by record copper prices and fierce competition for the metal from solar farms, wind turbines, and data centers. JPMorgan estimates that about 2% of global copper demand — roughly 500,000 metric tons — could shift to aluminum in the automotive sector this year alone.
Ferrari Bets on Aluminum for Speed and Weight
Ferrari rolled aluminum wiring into its 296 hybrid in January 2025, cutting harness weight by about 15%. Then last month, the brand launched the Luce — its first fully electric vehicle — with an "aluminum-first" wiring architecture. Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna called it a performance necessity, saying the company shed "20% of wiring weight through advanced aluminum alloys" to offset heavy battery mass and sharpen handling, according to Ferrari.
The weight savings are real. Wiring harnesses can weigh up to 50kg in premium cars, making them one of the heaviest components, according to Bloomberg. Saving 8–12kg from wiring alone matters in a performance EV where every kilogram affects lap times and driving feel.
BMW Has Been Building This Way Since 2011
BMW is not new to aluminum wiring. The German automaker first used aluminum conductors in battery cables back in 2011 to cut front-axle weight in its combustion-engine cars, according to Automotive News. Now, BMW is going further — announcing plans to expand aluminum wiring across all its upcoming "Neue Klasse" models, covering both high- and low-voltage systems.
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse framed the shift around sustainability as much as cost. He said aluminum is "more easily integrated into our closed-loop recycling systems than complex copper harnesses," according to Handelsblatt. With copper near $15,000 per ton, locking in cheaper aluminum also protects BMW from commodity price swings.
Why Aluminum Struggled Before — and Works Now
Aluminum wiring failed in homes and cars during the 1960s and 70s. Connections would loosen over time and corrode when touching other metals. Those problems scared engineers away for decades. But new ultrasonic welding techniques and specialized "transition terminals" have solved the old corrosion issues, according to SAE International.
There is one real trade-off. Aluminum conducts electricity at only 61% the rate of copper, meaning the wires must be thicker to carry the same load. But even with thicker wires, an aluminum setup is about 50% lighter than an equivalent copper one, according to Engineering.com. That math is now good enough for a Ferrari.
Copper Markets Brace for a Structural Demand Drop
Analysts say this shift is not temporary. "We are seeing the 'de-coppering' of the transport sector," said Jonas Keerl of Wood Mackenzie. He argued that once aluminum wiring is built into a platform like BMW's Neue Klasse, automakers won't switch back — even if copper prices fall.
Not everyone agrees the threat is large. Copper mining executives argue that soaring EV production still demands huge amounts of copper for motors and charging infrastructure, according to Mining.com. But supply chain experts warn of a different short-term risk: a possible shortage of the specialized connectors needed to safely join aluminum and copper wires. "If the industry switches too fast," one Aptiv engineer told Automotive News, "we may see a shortage of the specialized connectors needed to prevent terminal oxidation."
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