Consortium secures UK funding to create low-carbon alloys using recycled aluminum strengthened by scandium.

In a significant move toward sustainable automotive manufacturing, an industry consortium including Aston Martin, Boeing UK, and NioCorp Developments Ltd. has secured approximately $3.8 million in UK funding to develop lightweight aluminum alloys and cast components using recycled aluminum strengthened by scandium.

This collaborative initiative, dubbed Project Pivot (Performance Integrated Vehicle Optimization Technology), involves leading automotive manufacturers, material scientists, and academic institutions.

The two main objectives of the project are to enhance vehicle component performance and reduce environmental impact by using recycled materials. Participants include Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, Sarginsons, Altair, GESCRAP, and Brunel University London, all aiming to merge engineering innovation with sustainable manufacturing practices.

The project's steering committee, which features key players such as Boeing UK, Linamar, Alcon Industries, and Shell Re-Charge, is responsible for guiding its strategic direction.

Together, they are working toward developing low-carbon vehicle components through the integration of recycled aluminum, which reduces carbon intensity significantly compared to traditional production methods.

As part of this $8 million program, Coventry-based aluminum foundry Sarginsons leads the charge, having already secured $3.8 million in UK government funding via the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) following a competitive application process. The consortium members will provide the remaining funding needed to achieve the initiative's goals.

"The award of funding from the APC is a major boost to Project PIVOT, which seeks to leverage advanced metal solidification and digital-twin simulations to manufacture low-carbon alloys which will ultimately uplift the level of recycled content we feature in Aston Martin models," said Roberto Fedeli, group chief technology officer of Aston Martin. "We look forward to progressing this project collaboratively with Sarginsons and our other research partners."

NioCorp's role is to provide aluminum-scandium master alloy for the group's research and prototype parts development efforts.

By harnessing scandium's unique combination of lightness and strength, the initiative aims to enable innovative designs in automotive engineering and aligns with broader industry trends that prioritize decarbonization and the creation of materials that enhance fuel efficiency while maintaining safety and durability.

"Project Pivot is aimed at solving real-world challenges and doing so on an accelerated timeline that happens to line up very well with NioCorp's plans to come online with approximately 100 tonnes per year of U.S.-produced scandium oxide from our Elk Creek Project in Nebraska," said NioCorp COO Scott Honan. "By almost any measure, the automotive industry has the potential to consume many hundreds of tonnes per year of scandium, and NioCorp will remain focused on supplying the scandium that this large potential market demands."