General Comments Hybrid vehicles, by their nature, require two propulsion systems to run alongside each other. This means that as well as the components associated with the ICE vehicle, many cars of the future will have an HV battery, an HV wire harness, an electric motor for propulsion and power electronics. Also, a charging point on board the vehicle and
In the transition from hybrid to full electric vehicle, components and systems associated with the IC engine will be lost, including a good deal of 12V wiring. There will be a gain, however, with all of the copper containing elements going to make up the electric power train being much stronger.
Fuel cell vehicles will contain many of the same elements as the battery operated vehicles. There may also be hybrid fuel cell technologies. Additionally, the high operating temperature of FCEVs will mean a need for much higher capacity heat exchangers, possibly also with higher copper content equipment designed to operate at higher temperatures.
While the introduction of some aluminium wiring is likely to mean a net loss of copper for ICE vehicles overall, there are some positive developments that could lead to small additions. These include regenerative braking and electromagnetic transmission.
In the following, we briefly review the implications of the new vehicle components by technology.