Friday, 28 September 2012

Great Smelt


Qtar is not on the radar for most, but the dictator there seems to be on to some good things. This aluminum smelter is the biggest in the world and uses 18% less energy than all the others to produce 585,000 tons of aluminum annually. Aluminum is a near perfect element. It is very abundant, corrosion resistant, easy to cast, form, stamp, weld and at the end of the day a perfect substance to recycle. I would make it a law every car manufacturer who makes less than a thousand cars a year, and more than a million must make one model line in aluminum. It could even be a copy of the steel car made in aluminum. Imagine all the cool cars that would still be daily drivers if this law had been in effect for the last 50 years. Cars would be far more affordable even if the up front cost was higher.  Given the economies of scale its likely aluminum cars might not cost significantly more if there was a mandate. Food for thought, the worlds largest smelter  makes enough aluminum to make 290,000 Audi A8 per year.



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