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Ferrari and BMW join Tesla, China in switch from copper to cheaper aluminium (www.reuters.com)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/electricvehicles@slrpnk.net
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Ferrari and BMW are rolling out new models featuring lightweight, cost-effective aluminium wiring, accelerating a shift away from copper, the dominant material in electric wiring since the invention of the electric ​battery two centuries ago.

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[–] 1 point 4 months ago (2 children)

Copper clad aluminum is also an option, though not sure how it works with DC current. If I recall correctly, ac current travels on the skin so just a coating of copper is sufficient.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago* (1 child)

    IIRC, the skin effect only occurs in AC and not DC, as the alternating current direction changes the magnetic fields and thereby causes eddie currents via Lens' Law. These eddie currents push the current out towards the skin.

    These systems tend to be DC afaik, at least until you hit the motor where it needs some rectification anyway, so I'm not sure that a copper-clad cable would really make a big difference.

    Not an electrical expert, though.

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