As technology advances and downstream industries evolve, aluminium is finding applications well beyond its established markets in construction, packaging and industrial manufacturing. Emerging sectors including the low-altitude economy, energy storage, new energy vehicles (NEVs), humanoid robotics and consumer electronics are creating new requirements for lightweight, high-performance aluminium materials.
In China, this shift is already reshaping aluminium demand. According to a 2025 industry review by China Nonferrous Metals News, growth from new-energy applications helped offset weaker demand from traditional sectors. New energy vehicles, photovoltaics and other emerging applications accounted for around 70% of incremental aluminium demand during the year.
Among these emerging applications, the low-altitude economy and new energy vehicles stand out as two fast-developing areas where material innovation and lightweighting are becoming increasingly important.
Low-Altitude Economy
China's low-altitude economy covers a broad range of economic activities built around low-altitude airspace and civil aviation applications, including uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, logistics, emergency response and other flight-based services.
The sector is attracting growing attention as technologies mature and commercial applications expand. According to forecasts cited by China's National Development and Reform Commission, the country's low-altitude economy could reach RMB 3.5 trillion by 2035.
For aircraft such as eVTOLs, reducing structural weight while maintaining strength, reliability and durability is a fundamental engineering requirement. With a density of roughly one-third that of steel, aluminium offers a strong basis for lightweight design. Depending on alloy and processing route, aluminium can also provide favourable combinations of strength-to-weight performance, corrosion resistance and manufacturability, with components produced through rolling, extrusion, forging and casting.
Recent developments are already demonstrating this potential. ALG Aluminium Inc. has developed its 7G50 high-strength aluminium alloy round bar for core load-bearing structures in flying-car applications. The company says the alloy was developed to meet demanding requirements for specific strength, fatigue performance, toughness and formability in lightweight structural components.
Commercial forecasts also point to further growth. One market estimate from Intel Market Research values the global eVTOL aluminium alloy materials market at approximately USD 128 million in 2025, with the market projected to reach USD 270 million by 2031, representing a CAGR of around 13%.
As the low-altitude economy progresses from technology development towards wider commercial deployment, demand is likely to grow not simply for more aluminium, but for higher-performance alloys and application-specific material solutions capable of meeting increasingly demanding structural and manufacturing requirements.
Automotive Lightweighting
The new energy vehicle market remains another major driver of aluminium innovation.
According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China produced 7.438 million NEVs and sold 7.446 million in the first half of 2026, representing year-on-year increases of 6.7% and 7.3%, respectively.
As electrification advances, lightweighting remains an important route to improving vehicle efficiency while accommodating increasingly complex battery, powertrain and safety systems. Aluminium is already widely used across body structures, chassis components, battery enclosures, wheels and thermal-management systems, while new applications continue to emerge.
One recent example is the Yangwang U8L, which features an industry-first all-aluminium large vehicle frame. Its integrated low-pressure-cast structure includes a single casting with a projected area of approximately 4.2 square metres and wall thicknesses ranging from 4 mm to 50 mm. The manufacturing approach reportedly reduced the number of frame components from 251 to 119, demonstrating how material selection and manufacturing integration can work together to support automotive lightweighting.
Aluminium is also moving into less traditional vehicle applications.
Ferrari has introduced aluminium power cables in models including the 296 hybrid, with the company reporting up to a 20% reduction in total wiring weight. BMW, which first adopted aluminium conductors in 2011, has progressively expanded their use and now employs aluminium cables across both high-voltage and low-voltage systems in its latest eDrive technology.
These developments illustrate how automotive lightweighting is evolving beyond conventional aluminium body panels and castings. From integrated vehicle structures and battery systems to electrical conductors, material engineers and automakers are exploring a growing range of applications where aluminium can contribute to lower weight, manufacturing efficiency and system performance.
From Ground to Sky
From electric vehicles on the road to eVTOL aircraft in the air, aluminium's application landscape continues to expand.
The opportunity, however, is not simply about increasing material consumption. Emerging applications are placing higher demands on alloy performance, precision processing, structural integration and application-specific engineering. For aluminium producers and processors, the ability to develop materials around specific downstream requirements will therefore become increasingly important.
The low-altitude economy and new energy vehicles are only two examples of this wider transition. Energy storage, advanced electronics and humanoid robotics are also opening new possibilities for aluminium materials as industries pursue lighter, more integrated and higher-performance systems.
Explore more aluminium materials, processing technologies and lightweighting solutions at ALUMINIUM CHINA 2027 and Lightweight Asia 2027, taking place 7–9 July 2027 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.
