Repairing the body of an electric vehicle is different due to use of aluminium

How different is it to repair a damaged electric vehicle compared with other types of cars?

Electric vehicles (EVs) make extensive use of aluminium in their construction – to offset the heavy weight of batteries – but almost always in combination with high-strength steel sections in critical parts to achieve high structural integrity while keeping the weight down.

As with any automobile today, parts such as bumpers, side mouldings and – in some cars – even the roof panel are made from plastic composites.

Aluminium is an industrial metal that is roughly four times more expensive than steel by weight. However, in terms of density, aluminium is just 35 per cent of steel. So, even if thicker sections of aluminium are used as steel substitutes, to achieve the required strength in car bodies, the overall weight saving from using aluminium makes it a very attractive alternative to the iron-based metal alloys such as steel.

The obvious benefits of a lightweight car body are generally better handling characteristics, lower energy consumption, reduced emissions and higher performance.

Also, the aluminium alloys used in automotive construction have a very high level of recyclability, further contributing to environmental preservation.

Repairing damaged body parts made from either aluminium alloy or fibreglass, carbon-fibre and polycarbonate obviously require different methods from fixing steel parts.

Small dents on aluminium can be beaten back to shape. But if severely damaged, aluminium is usually impossible to repair because of the ease with which it stretches out of shape during the process of hammering.

On the other hand, cutting and welding of aluminium is complicated and requires special equipment and skills.

As such, traditional panel beaters at body repair shops usually have no choice but to replace damaged aluminium alloy panels, castings or extrusions.

To replace sections that were originally welded, a specialist welder would have to be engaged. The welding method and welding equipment are not the same as those used for steel repairs.

Composites are less prone to severe deformation during a collision; they usually spring back to shape with light dents.

The most common damage to non-metal body parts that you are likely to encounter is to the bumpers, which can warp or even crack. Such damage is not complicated to repair, but sometimes, the lack of skills and the high man-hour costs involved to repair make it more viable to replace the damaged part.

For body sections that cannot be easily dismounted and replaced, only specialist shops with trained workmen can perform a proper job.

This is particularly critical for carbon-fibre-reinforced-plastics as used in many supercars because the damaged section could well be structural and not just cosmetic.