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The weight of wire harnesses increases with the growing number of systems used in the vehicle in recent years. For the purpose of reducing the weight of wire harnesses, aluminum instead of the conventional copper is getting popular as a wire conductor. The conventional Al wire, however, is not able to be used for small gauge wires such as the sizes of 0.35mm2 and 0.5mm2 and wires used in the engine compartment due to its insufficient conductor strength. For this reason, we tried to develop a stronger aluminum alloy that has conductor strength equivalent to or stronger than that of copper. For the first time in the industry, we have successfully developed a high-strength aluminum alloy wire. Starting with the application of 0.35mm2 wire for engine wire harnesses, we began mass production in April 2015. This paper reports the development of high-strength aluminum alloy that can be used for small gauge wires and wires used in the engine compartment.

From the viewpoint of reducing the environmental impacts by automobile emission, improving fuel efficiency is essential. That is why automobiles need to be lightened. However, more and more electrical systems have been necessary in an automobile to ensure safety and comfort. With the increase in the number of electrical systems, the weight of Electrical Distribution System (EDS) also has become increased. In order to reduce the weight of EDS, it was decided to evaluate a change of material from copper to aluminum. In fact, aluminum wires have been used for high-voltage wires, but they have almost never been used for low-voltage wires. SUMITOMO ELECTRIC GROUP developed an aluminum wire that is available for low-voltage wire harnesses and started mass production of the wire from October 2010. In this paper, I'm reporting mainly on our development of a new aluminum alloy that can be used for aluminum wires.