Steeling hearts: why heavy metal is here to stay

"We've gone around the world talking to the automotive OEMs and the feedback has been really fabulous," says Coates. "They've been blown away by the strength level that's been achieved. We're able to put a very specific grade of steel in the right part of the car for the right functionality. Not only that, but the steel companies can further tweak the material's properties during its manufacture. We can really tailor individual components for their intended use. That's something I think is quite unique to the steel industry."

Steel also has the benefit of high recyclability, claiming an impressively low loss rate when it's processed as scrap. Russ Balzer, another technical director at World Auto Steel, adds: "The number we use in the modelling for recycling process loss is 4-5%. Steel has been used for so long that its makers have become really efficient. A lot of investment and evolution has also gone into galvanising the use of stainless steels and aluminising [a surface treatment where aluminium acts as a protective layer]. Exhausts don't really rust any more because of this."

While steel is heavier than some alternative materials, Balzer doesn't see that as an issue in the pursuit of lightweighting EVs. "The dawn of advanced high-strength steels is a key requirement to help strip weight from electric cars, and of course there is some incentive to do so," he says. "But one thing that I think has outpaced its projections is the lowering of battery costs for vehicles. As battery technologies improve, and their densities increase, it reduces the benefit of lightweighting somewhat.

"Battery protection is an area where the strength and energy absorption of steel can come in. When we get to solid-state technology, protection of the battery becomes even more important. This is where this tailoring of different grades of steel and being able to use the appropriate grade in the right place is a huge benefit not only in the ultimate mass of the vehicle, but also in terms of lifetime cost and crash-test performance."

In an ever-tumultuous car market whose goalposts frequently shift, steel looks like being a constant for decades to come.

Steel’s cleaner future

"Working with car makers is a dance, a choreographed exchange of information," says Nick Silk, Tata Steel UK's product management boss. He talks me through electric arc furnace steel manufacture, which can create new steel using up to 100% scrap material versus around 30% via blast furnace.