David Greer Meridian Lightweight Technologies

1. LET IT BE LIGHT
Magnesium in E-mobility Applications
Meridian Lightweight Technologies

2. Coahuila, Mexico
Manufacturing
Business Development
Strathroy, Ontario
Global Technology Center
2 Manufacturing Facilities
Plymouth, MI
Business Development
Munich, Germany
Business Development
Shanghai, China
Manufacturing
Business Development
Xinchang, China
Manufacturing
Eaton Rapids, MI
Manufacturing
Bremen, Germany
Assembly/Logistics
MERIDIAN LIGHTWEIGHT TECHNOLOGIES
Global Footprint
 4 North American manufacturing sites
 1 European manufacturing/assembly sites
 2 Asian manufacturing sites
 5 International business development offices

3.  Magnesium and Aluminum alloy casting capability
 World’s largest producer of magnesium components
 Die casting magnesium since 1981
 Over 1,900 dedicated employees
 7 global manufacturing sites
 In-house design and advanced engineering
 70 total die-cast machines from 500 to 4,500 tons
 30 die cast machines 2,500 tons and over
 Secondary machining, coating, and assembly capabilities
Meridian is the leading full-service supplier of innovative lightweight magnesium die cast
components and assemblies in the global automotive market
WE ARE THE LIGHTWEIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

4. WHAT WE OFFER
Solutions: Our parts are just part of the process
In-House Design Advanced Engineering
 Flow Sim testing
 Physical testing
 Tool design and verification
 SDRC I-DEAS
 CATIA
 UNI-GRAPHICS
 FEA analysis
 CFD capability
 MSC Nastran (modal/linear)
 Patran
 LD Dyna dynamic analysis
 NVH
 Crash safety testing
 Durability testing
 Fatigue testing
 OptiStruct (part optimization)
 Die cast equipment design
 Lubricants used for machining
 Foundry technologies
 Machining
 Coating
 Assembly
Manufacturing

5. PRESENTATION FOCUS
Automotive drive-train market shift:
 Electrification of automotive market.
 Barriers to and lightweighting solutions for electric vehicle market growth.
Lightweighting Vehicles:
 Lightweighting importance for EV architectures.
 Die-cast Magnesium structures lightweighting in traditional applications.
 Magnesium die-casting lightweighting for EV specific components.

6. ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET
Electric vehicles account for 8% of global sales
Electrification of automotive market:
 EV market is outperforming global vehicle sales 2020-21.
 Significant growth in Chinese and EU BEV sales.
 US EV market lagging but expected growth by 2025 in all
segments.

7. EV Market Share:
 Risk-taking innovators and some early adopters have embraced EVs
 Top 3 EV producers accounts for nearly 50% of EV market – Tesla
leading with 20% globally
 Approaching technology ‘chasm’
 Further growth dependent upon convincing more risk-averse early,
and late majority of technology
Technology Adoption
ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET

8. ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET
Barriers to market growth
Consumer concern evolution:
 Three primary concerns – range, charging availability and cost.
 Infrastructure development can improve charging availability.
 Driving range and vehicle cost concerns improved, still are in top 3 of
consumer concerns.
Climate considerations:
 Environmental friendliness of EVs widely varies regionally based on
energy grid sources.

9. ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET
Resolving barriers to market growth
Battery Packs:
 EV battery pack size strongly affects cost and range.
 Over the last 10 years, battery costs per kWh have exponentially
decreased, while corresponding average range has tripled.
 As of 2020, for every kWh increase in battery power, an EV gains
7kg in mass and 4km in range and costs an additional $137.
Lightweighting:
 Mass reduction can be utilized strategically to decrease battery
pack sizing, improve vehicle range, and optimize costs.

10. LIGHTWEIGHTING WITH MAGNESIUM

11. MAGNESIUM
8th Most abundant element on the planet
 Pure Magnesium is the lightest of all metals with a density of 1.7g/cm3.
 Magnesium is integral to Aluminum alloys, providing strengthening effects.
 Advantages of magnesium alloy use:
 Excellent strength-to-weight ratio
 Excellent die-life for cast products
 Excellent heat dissipation properties
 Can be cast thin and fast, and machined easily
 Dampens vibrations and provides EMI reduction
 Full recyclability and ample availability
 Widely used in automotive industry in high-pressure die-castings

12. Enabling vehicle mass reduction
 Magnesium Castings enabling Lightweighting:
 Mass reduction primarily achieved through part replacement, integration & consolidation, with additional
compounding.
 Typical Magnesium die-cast application results in weight savings of 25-50% based upon replacing material.
 Magnesium content per vehicle expected to increase through 2028.
 Strategic utilization can achieve battery downsizing and range increases.
LIGHTWEIGHTING EVs USING MAGNESIUM

13.  Automotive Applications
 Exterior applications – radiator supports, closure inners, spare tire carriers
 Interior applications – cross car beams, seat frames, steering columns
 Body / chassis structures – subframes, shock towers, nodal structures
 ICE powertrain applications – engine brackets, transmission cases, transfer cases
 EV powertrain applications – motor housings, battery housings, charger housings
MAGNESIUM HIGH-PRESSURE DIE-CASTINGS
Wide ranging automotive applications

14. High Speed + High Volume Production
 Provides the most complex, highly integrated shapes in a single process step
 Fast cycle times are ideal for high volume production quantities
 Parts are durable and dimensionally stable , while maintain tight tolerances
 Hundreds of thousands of castings can be produced before additional tooling is required
Strength and Weight
 Higher strength to weight ratio than plastic or aluminum.
 Unlike multi-piece structural assemblies, the strength of a single-piece magnesium die casting is not limited by the
strength of an assembly joint.
MAGNESIUM HIGH-PRESSURE DIE-CASTING

15. Long Die-Life
 Magnesium alloys do not have an affinity to die steel like aluminum alloys.
 Die-cast dies for magnesium have significant die life compared to industry standards.
 Regular maintenance extends die life without the use of specialty coatings on die surfaces.
Simplified Assembly
 Provide integral fastening elements, such as bosses and studs.
 Holes can be cored or tapped.
 Self threading fasteners and rivets are used as cost effective joining solutions.
MAGNESIUM HIGH-PRESSURE DIE-CASTING

16. MAGNESIUM CASTINGS IN EVs
Traditional vs. EV drive-train applications
Traditional body & interior applications nearly identical in ICE and EV structures:
 Magnesium castings widely used in cross car beam applications.
 Front end modules have some market share in the last 20 years.
 Closure inners evolving from niche to mainstream vehicle applications.
 Steering column, interior bracketry applications.
EV-specific applications:
 Significant mass reduction potential in EV housings and enclosures.
 Market penetration in on-board charger housing application.
 Opportunity for large body structure & chassis castings.

17. TESLA MODEL S FIRST GENERATION
Motor Trend 2013 Car of the Year
Notable Innovations:
 Electric vehicle market penetration.
 75-100kwH battery options with rated driving range of 400-650km.
 Aluminum-intensive design utilizing extrusions, stampings and castings.
Die-cast Magnesium Front-End Module:
 Collaborative design between Tesla and Meridian.
 Main structural component in front of vehicle.
 Provides stiffness, hood latch retention, resistance to curb loads and bumper retention.
 Provides a total part envelope of 1.9m x 0.6m x 0.4m and a total weight of 6.5kg.

18. FORD MUSTANG MACH-E EV
2021 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year
Notable Innovations:
 Ford’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle built on an all-new electric vehicle platform.
 Multi-material approach incorporating aluminum, high-strength steels, magnesium.
 Various motor / battery range configurations result in performance up to 480hp and 300-mile range.
Die-cast Magnesium Cross-Car Beam:
 Magnesium cross-car beam utilization to consolidate components and reduce weight.
 One-piece magnesium component enables minimalistic design of instrument panel.
 Integrates a 15.5” center-mounted touch screen for infotainment system and vehicle functionality.
 Incorporates HVAC components, driver controls, electronics.
2021

19. SUBARU CROSSTREK PLUG-IN HYBRID
2021 IIHS Top Safety Pick+
Notable Innovations:
 All-wheel drive SUV incorporating an 88-kW electric motor.
 Fuel efficiency rated at 2.6L/100km and a total range of 774km.
 Battery pack is charged by driving or plugging-in vehicle.
Die-Cast Magnesium Charger Housing:
 Collaborative design between Subaru and Meridian.
 Primary structure that houses the on-board charging system.
 Assembled with two magnesium castings.
 Provides excellent heat dissipation enabling fast charging at 240V.
 Part assembly has a total weight of 2.4kg, providing a mass savings of nearly 25%.
2021 Awards of Excellence
Automotive Cast Product Winner

20. Enabling vehicle mass reduction
 Housings & Enclosures:
 EV drive train components - Battery housing components, traction motor and converter housings.
 Applications require sound housings, with dimensional stability and EMI shielding.
 Significant management of thermal energy required through heat dissipation of housing and internal cooling.
 Housings required to damped vibration and provide corrosion resistance.
 High thermal conductivity Mg alloy compositions.
MAGNESIUM CASTINGS IN EVs
Future opportunities

21.  Large body structures:
 Performance requirements are key to success.
 Magnesium experience cast in large chassis component applications – front chassis casting, front subframe
casting, front body structures.
 Integrating multiple existing components into one large cast component.
 Scaling casting process – metal melting and transfer, thermal management, etc.
MAGNESIUM CASTINGS IN EVs
Future opportunities

22.  Collected EV data on battery pack power and weight, and vehicle range and weight from over 30 vehicles.
 Two main takeaways when considered battery cost and lightweighting cost:
Battery Pack Upsizing:
 EV range is increased by 5km per additional kWh.
 Average vehicle cost increases by $34 per km of range gained.
Lightweighting with Mg die-castings:
 Incorporating Mg castings in key applications can result in vehicle weight savings of nearly 100kg.
 Average vehicle cost increases by $20 per km of range gained.
MAGNESIUM CASTINGS IN EVs
Case study - Strategic lightweighting to optimize EV range and cost

23. Strategic Lightweighting and Battery pack Optimization:
1. Vehicle weight can remain unchanged with EV range increased by nearly 70km and average cost increase
of $2,000.
2. Vehicle range can remain unchanged with cost reductions of nearly $500 and weight reductions of over
130kg.
MAGNESIUM CASTINGS IN EVs
Case study - Strategic lightweighting to optimize EV range and cost

24. KEY TAKEAWAYS
 EV market seeing exponential growth regionally.
 Range, charging concerns and cost are primary consumer concerns for future growth.
 Environmental aspects of electrification needs to be addressed.
 Magnesium die-casting capability in numerous traditional automotive and EV specific applications.
 Strategic approach to lightweighting and battery optimization can improve range and / or reduce vehicle cost.

25. GO FURTHER