Meridian receives 2021 IMA Award of Excellence in Automotive Cast Product Category

Recently, the International Magnesium Association (IMA) announced the 2021 Award of Excellence in Automotive Cast Product Category at the 78th Annual IMA World Magnesium Conference. The winning project is AZ91D Magnesium Charger Housing for the 2020 Model Subaru Crosstrek Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV). This product was jointly developed by Meridian Lightweight Technologies, a subsidiary of Wanfeng Auto Wheel (002085), and Subaru Corporation. Meridian is the world’s leading full-service supplier of innovative lightweight automotive magnesium die-casting parts. Meridian has won IMA awards multiple times in a row, showcasing its leading position in the field of automotive lightweighting.

The magnesium charger housing was manufactured in Meridian’s Shanghai factory and assembled in Japan. It has excellent heat dissipation performance and can charge batteries rapidly at 240V. This one-piece product comprises two AZ91D magnesium alloy castings, weighing 1.56kg and 0.69kg respectively, replacing the two-piece aluminum castings and reducing weight by 25%. The casting design provides a low draft angle and thin-walled section. It also contains self-tapping threaded fasteners that simplify processing procedures. This is the first time that magnesium alloy materials have been used in car charger housings, demonstrating the great potential of magnesium in electric vehicle applications.