LS Cable & System said Monday it has started mass-producing aluminum wires for electric vehicles.

The cable provider expanded its investment in aluminum wires as it believes that aluminum will become a key material for vehicles amid growing competition in EV industries.

Aluminium conductor wires are 40 percent lighter than conventional copper wires and can reduce the weight of wires from 25 kilograms per vehicle to about 15 kilograms, the firm said.

LS Cable said it has built a factory exclusively for aluminum wire production in Korea. This is because when production facilities for copper and aluminum wire are combined, copper particles can corrode aluminium. Major automotive electronics companies in Japan and elsewhere are also building aluminum-only facilities.

The company said the proportion of aluminum wires in the domestic wire market will be more than 30 percent by 2025, up from about 5 percent at present. The firm’s aluminum wires are currently supplied to the nation’s largest automakers, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors.

“Through LS Alsco, a subsidiary that specializes in the aluminum business, we can supply high-strength aluminum and produce them in batches from materials to finished wire products,” said LS Cable & System.

“We are also considering additional investments as we are about to sign a supply contract with a global wiring harness company,” it added. 

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)