On 14 Apr 2016 at 13:15, brucedp5 via EV wrote: > So is aluminum that such a good idea for power line/wiring use of any kind?
Aluminum wire has been used for larger (stranded) power cables for many decades, and it's given good service. You do have to size it larger because of its higher resistance, and use Noalox or other goop on the connections to prevent oxidation from raising the resistance at the connection. For a while, IIRC something over 4 decades ago, solid AL building wire in #12 and #14 was used in place of #14 and #14 for residential branch circuits. It proved to be unreliable and hazardous. I think that was because the solid (vs stranded) wire deformed too much under receptacle and switch terminal screws. With thermal cycling the connections loosened, developed oxidation, and heated up. There were some home fires as a result. But AL is fine in larger sizes and in stranded type. I don't think I'd use it for an EV where it had to withstand constant flexing. It might be usable in motors, but I think (though I'm not an engineer) that efficiency would suffer somewhat. One thing to consider about the long term use of AL over CU is that reducing bauxite to aluminum uses a lot of energy. AL wire is currently cheaper than CU for a given power capacity, but if energy costs increase substantially, I wonder if that could change the equation. Again, though, I don't see AL wire finding much use in EV wiring. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
