The automotive supplier Aptiv , formerly known as Delphi, wants to replace conventional copper cables in cars with aluminum cabling. Aluminum has only about 30% of the mass of copper, so the corresponding cables could make the electrical system lighter by about 2 kg.

The problem with using aluminum cables has been the connection to the copper contacts on the various electronic parts of the vehicle. There is corrosion at the contact points due to chemical processes. Aptiv has now introduced a solution called SMC, Selective Metal Coating . This is a special coating that has the purpose of preventing corrosion. The company has successfully tested such cables in eight cars of different manufacturers. For its development, Aptiv has already received a PACE Award from the American automotive newspaper Automotive News.