Novelis, the world's largest recycler of aluminum headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, developed what's reportedly the first aluminum sheet battery enclosure for electric vehicles.

The battery packs are typically stored in steel enclosures to keep them safe in the case of an accident, but potentially up to a 50% weight reduction could boost the range a little bit.

Novelis says that by using aluminum, the range could be extended by 6-10%, but it's probably only when the entire car is aluminum, not just the pack enclosure.

Now, we wait and see whether the industry will really decide to use aluminum instead of steel in mainstream models.

"Built with Novelis Advanz™ aluminum products and part of the Novelis Alumineering® Solution portfolio, a collection of design solutions for the automotive industry, the enclosure is up to 50 percent lighter than an equivalent steel design. As a result, it matches the best energy density in the industry by enabling more than 160 watt-hours per kilogram, an extremely efficient design for OEMs and Tier 1 battery pack manufacturers. It also can accommodate all battery cell types and is designed particularly for battery electric vehicles with larger power packs such as pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles and crossovers. For mass production electric vehicles, Novelis' aluminum sheet design is the most cost-effective solution when compared to aluminum extrusion and casting-intense designs and has low $/kg saved premiums compared to equivalent steel designs at substantially lower weight.