Despite recent inroads by aluminum, copper will remain the dominant material used in automotive wiring harness applications over the next few decades. That’s because harness weight can easily be reduced by using finer wires wherever electrically feasible.
Aluminum wire and cable can be more difficult to feed, cut, crimp, strip and splice than its copper counterparts. However, numerous processing methods are currently under investigation.
Recent price fluctuations have forced some manufacturers to consider alternatives to copper wire, such as copper-clad aluminum, solid-core aluminum and composite wire.
