Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Copper and Vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft

A battery electric car used roughly three to four times the copper of a petrol car in 2017 estimates, in motor windings, battery foils, busbars and wiring, so electrification raises copper demand per vehicle, while high copper prices are pushing carmakers towards aluminium wiring.

Copper (commodity) and Vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft (industry): 3 relationships.

How they are linked

1. Industry input

Physical flow · Strong · Copper to vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft

Copper carries current through wiring harnesses, motor windings and battery current collectors; the site lists four enterprise types in vehicles that depend on it, rating it 5 of 5 for battery cell makers and traction-motor makers.

  • 5 of 5 criticality for battery cell and traction-motor makers
  • 18% of US copper use in transportation equipment, 2025

Transportation equipment took 18% of US copper use in 2025, behind buildings and electrical products. Carmakers buy much of their copper inside parts from harness, motor and battery suppliers, which the site rates 3 of 5, so copper prices reach them mainly through component costs.

Enterprise types that depend on it:

  • EV battery cell and materials makers: current collectors (criticality 5 of 5)
  • Rare-earth magnet and traction-motor makers: windings (criticality 5 of 5)
  • Car, two-wheeler and commercial-vehicle makers: wiring (criticality 4 of 5)
  • Tier-1 component and system suppliers: harnesses and motors (criticality 3 of 5)

Sources: Material Insights; USGS

2. EV copper intensity

Transition · Rising · Electrification raises copper per vehicle

An electric drivetrain adds a traction motor, a battery pack with copper foil and high-voltage cabling, so each switch from a combustion car to a battery car adds tens of kilograms of copper.

  • 23 kg copper in a combustion engine car, ICA 2017
  • 83 kg copper in a battery electric car, ICA 2017
  • 224 to 369 kg copper in a battery electric bus, ICA 2017

The ICA's figures put hybrids at about 40 kg and plug-in hybrids at about 60 kg, and each charger adds 0.7 kg, up to 8 kg for fast chargers. These estimates date from 2017, and designs that use aluminium wiring now use less. In India, copper use in EVs, mostly two- and three-wheelers, rose 16% in FY25 against 5% for automotive overall.

Sources: International Copper Association; The Tribune (International Copper Association India data)

3. Aluminium wiring

Substitution · Rising · Aluminium replaces copper in vehicle wiring

Aluminium costs about a quarter as much as copper per tonne and is about a third as dense, so carmakers accept thicker cables to save cost and weight.

  • 61% aluminium's conductivity relative to copper
  • about 1.6 times larger aluminium cable needed for the same current
  • up to 20% wiring weight cut reported by Ferrari

Copper peaked close to US$15,000 a tonne in late January 2026, and by mid-2026 the copper to aluminium price ratio was about 4.2. Ferrari and BMW have extended aluminium wiring, Tesla has used it since 2019, and AVATR, XPeng and Xiaomi are reported to be sourcing it. Because aluminium cables must be about 1.6 times larger for the same current, the switch trades copper cost for space in the vehicle, which limits how far it can go.

Sources: Quartz

For investors

Key learnings

  1. Each shift from a petrol to a battery car adds tens of kilograms of copper, so EV sales are a structural copper demand driver.
  2. Copper near US$15,000 a tonne in early 2026 accelerated the switch to aluminium wiring, which trims copper per vehicle and limits upside for copper demand from cars.
  3. In India, two- and three-wheelers lead EV copper growth, 16% in FY25, so per-vehicle copper is smaller than in cars but volumes are high.

What to track

  • EV sales by segment: Faster EV adoption raises copper demand per vehicle sold (Monthly · VAHAN dashboard, IEA Global EV Outlook)
  • Copper to aluminium price ratio: A higher ratio speeds aluminium substitution in wiring (Daily · LME)
  • Carmaker announcements on aluminium harnesses: Signals lower copper intensity in new platforms (As announced · company releases)

For policymakers

Key learnings

  1. EV support policies raise copper needs, so electrification targets should be paired with copper supply and recycling plans.
  2. Electric buses use about 224 to 369 kg of copper each, so public bus electrification programmes are concentrated copper demand.
  3. Aluminium wiring cuts copper needs per vehicle, shifting part of the transport sector's metal exposure from copper to aluminium.

What to track

  • India EV registrations by vehicle type: Shows how fast copper-intensive drivetrains are spreading (Monthly · VAHAN, Ministry of Road Transport)
  • India copper demand from automotive and EVs: Measures the transport sector's pull on copper supply (Annual · International Copper Association India)

India

India's automotive copper demand rose 5% in FY25 while EV copper use, mainly in two- and three-wheelers, rose 16%, so electrification is adding to copper demand from a small base.

Sources

  1. Vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft: materials, Material Insights (2026)
  2. Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Copper, USGS (2026)
  3. The electric vehicle market and copper demand (e-mobility factsheet), International Copper Association (2017)
  4. India's copper demand rises 9.3 per cent in FY25; ICA calls for strategic reserves planning, The Tribune (International Copper Association India data) (2025)
  5. Ferrari, BMW turn to aluminium wiring as copper prices climb, Quartz (2026)