European Automakers Pivot to ‘Gigastamping’ for Cost-Effective EV Production
As EV costs rise, manufacturers like Gestamp adopt a lower-investment alternative to Tesla's Gigacasting to streamline production and cut expenses.
Rising costs have significantly impacted both automotive consumers and manufacturers. The industry’s shift to electric vehicles, coupled with expensive battery technology, stringent environmental and technological requirements, and increasing raw material and component prices, has driven vehicle costs higher.
In response, automakers are seeking every possible efficiency in vehicle production. Streamlining manufacturing processes is crucial, bringing into focus a concept known as ‘gigastamping’.
The Low-Cost Gigacasting Approach
The term ‘gigacasting’ gained prominence through Tesla’s manufacturing approach. It involves using massive industrial presses to cast large structural aluminum parts, drastically reducing the number of components, simplifying assembly, and lowering costs.
For instance, gigacasting can produce a single large part, replacing 80 or more individual components, by pouring liquid aluminum into a giga-press. Following Tesla’s lead, companies such as Volkswagen, Volvo, Toyota, and Chinese manufacturers Xpeng, NIO, and Zeekr have adopted this trend.
However, other automotive giants like Stellantis and the Renault Group have opted against gigacasting, primarily due to the substantial investment and high process costs involved. Instead, some European manufacturers are turning to a more economical alternative: ‘gigastamping’.
Xavier Herrera, body director at Gestamp, a Spanish multinational specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of metal automotive components, stated, “It is not a booming trend (gigacasting). Instead, we see a use for gigastamping: stamping a large part in a single pass and replacing 20 or 25 different parts.”
Tesla popularized gigacasting, but Europe is seeking alternatives like gigastamping.
Gestamp views gigastamping as the preferred path, offering a more cost-effective solution than gigacasting with lower financial risk and investment.
Herrera added, “Customers pressured us heavily to reduce costs, and this is one of the solutions. The larger the part, the easier it is for the customer. And the fewer parts they use, the less they develop, the less they have to validate, and the less they have to buy.”
This ‘low-cost gigacasting’ essentially involves pre-welding elements that can then be stamped into a single piece. The pressing line is less complex and allows for the use of more economical steel instead of aluminum. Gestamp, for example, is developing a double door frame that integrates the C-pillar.
This technological approach also underscores the differing economic realities between Europe and China. While Chinese manufacturers can access inexpensive financing to acquire costly gigacasting machinery, European counterparts often face capital restrictions and must leverage existing platforms.
