Learn About the Role of Precious Metals in Your Car
Steel, fiberglass, and rubber are all commonly recognized components in modern automobiles, but there are also a substantial number of precious metals in cars. The most significant uses are platinum and palladium in catalytic converters and silver and gold in electronic circuit boards, electrical connections, and more.
How Much Precious Metal is Used in the Automotive Industry?
Platinum: 40% of the world’s supply goes toward three main applications: autocatalysts, sensors, and spark plugs.
Palladium: 80% of the world’s supply is used for catalytic converters and fuel cells.
Gold: Less than 1% of the world’s supply. Older cars contain gold in the circuit boards.
Silver: Around 80 million ounces per year. Silver is used in most electrical connections, relays, circuits, electromagnetic shielding, anti-fog paste in windows, and low-emissivity glass windows.
Platinum in Cars
Almost all gasoline and diesel-fueled cars and trucks manufactured within the last 30 years contain platinum. Used as a component in catalytic converters, platinum is one of the most efficient materials at changing toxic vehicle emissions into substances that are less harmful to the environment. The catalyst, a part of any catalytic converter, is typically made of ceramic material and lined with platinum. The amount of precious metal used depends on the engine’s placement, the car’s size, and the vehicle’s retail price.
While battery-powered electric cars do not utilize precious metals, hydrogen fuel cell technology, an alternative to large, slow-to-charge batteries, uses platinum catalysts.
Palladium in Cars
Many automobile manufacturers have transitioned to lining catalysts with a palladium alloy incorporating platinum and rhodium to reduce costs. These additional precious metals have been used in varying degrees for many years, with ratios that fluctuate with the price of palladium and other metals. Because catalytic converters can easily be removed from most cars, harvesting and recycling the precious metals within has become a lucrative business. Palladium and platinum retrieved from junk cars and trucks can be reused in lab equipment, electrodes, designer jewelry, and electric fuel cells.
Palladium is also helpful in creating hydrogen fuel for some electric cars. Its high level of permeance means that membranes made from palladium can efficiently filter hydrogen, excluding other gases commonly present. This is essential because most hydrogen fuel today is produced using natural gas, emitting carbon dioxide.
Silver and Gold in Cars
Every car and truck built today includes several computers. These electronics monitor engine performance, control onboard navigation, and automate hundreds of switches throughout the vehicle. These circuit boards, just like those in cell phones and personal computers, almost always include silver and gold as components. You can also find trace amounts of gold in airbags, audio systems, and decorative elements of luxury cars.
Silver has been used as a vehicle component for various purposes, including silver-oxide batteries, electric car batteries, airbags, electrical connections, and machinery. As the demand for electric vehicles increases, so does the demand for silver, as they use the most silver compared to gas—and diesel-powered vehicles.
