Carbon Fibers: Why They're the Next Big Thing in Cars

Carbon fiber materials are a huge paradox. Lightweight and flexible like a typical fabric, the strongest carbon fibers are ten times rigid, but five time lighter than steel.  What's more, they're also eight times tougher, and 1.5 times lighter than aluminum.

Don't believe us? The picture below is a torque test for a steel and a carbon fiber drive shaft. Both of them are getting twisted until they break (you can also view the entire experiment here). Using the same amount of pressure on both, you can easily see that the steel shaft (the first one) is already getting out of shape, while the carbon fiber shaft just sits there, solid and zen-like -- like a happy Buddha.

How carbon fibers are used in cars

Combine carbon fibers with a binding polymer (such as an epoxy), and you can mold it into any shape of a car part, from door frames to roof pillars, or anything that doesn't touch the road. The result: a vehicle that's extremely strong and super lean.

No wonder sports cars love them.

And speaking of sports cars, these fibers are used in European "Supercars" like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren. They are placed above ground, while aluminum and steel are used for the chassis. According to Paul Ferraiolo, head of product planning and strategy for BMW North America, they're minimizing weight on the upper part so they can design a car that's heavier below.  This lowers the center of gravity, allowing for better traction and handling.

Why do only a small number of cars use it?

They're expensive, plain and simple.

A decade ago, carbon fiber cost around $150 per pound. Now, it's around $10 per pound. Compare this to steel, which costs only less than a dollar per pound, and you’ll see why steel is still the preferred material of car manufacturers. Many analysts theorize that carbon fiber prices should drop at around $5 to make it commercially-viable for the market.

Another hurdle is waste disposal. Unlike steel, which can be melted and recycled, carbon fiber can't be melted down and recycled using its original strength. So it can't be used to build another car or even a small building. Consequently, this "un-recycability" can lead to a lot of waste that don't have anywhere to go to except the landfills.

But here's the good news about recycling. BMW was able to recycle its i3 model by using its dry carbon fibers and converting them into new product forms. Their successful strategy is a huge, yet cautious leap towards finally solving the recycling issue once and for all.

So why is it the next big thing?

1. Carbon fibers have a lot of great features that are extremely well-suited for cars

Aside from its super strength and lightweight features, carbon fibers are also:

• Corrosion-resistant when combined with the proper resin
• Heat-tolerant and heat-resistant (to a higher degree)
• Great for making complex designs and contours
• Versatile, and can work well with materials like wood, fiber, concrete, metal, and plastic
• Wear-and-tear-resistant (to a higher degree)
• Attractive and unique in looks

2. Many vehicles are slowly embracing carbon fiber

Mention carbon fiber cars a decade ago, and you'll only get the $1-million-plus European "Supercars" and "Hypercars" in the mix. But for the first time, even 2016 "Citycars" and "Sportscars"  from familiar car brands are also jumping in the bandwagon, and you probably are familiar with these brands already:

• 2016 BMW 7-series sedan
• 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (carbon-limited edition)
• 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C sports car (Fiat-Chrysler)
• 2016 Ford GT
• 2017 Audi R8
• 2017 Lexus LC 500
• 2016 Nissan GT-R
• 2016 Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang

3. It can help reduce weight and reduce fuel consumption

While we have to admit that the list above is still short, we think it holds huge promise, especially for electric or fuel-efficient vehicles. Using carbon fiber as substitute for steel components not only reduces the weight of a typical car by almost 60%, but it will also reduce fuel consumption by 30%. Many car manufacturers now see its potential, and are taking steps to include it in their cars to improve fuel efficiency and speed.

4. Car manufacturers are starting to make it more reachable to the masses

Three years ago, BMW and Audi announced that they were planning to develop carbon fiber that's 90% cheaper within six years. During that time, they’ve already slashed almost half of this percentage, with BMW releasing the i3 and i8 electric city cars that offer a lower price tag.

Both car giants, together with 86 other companies (such as Airbus), have also been given the green light by the German government to use carbon fibers effectively. Dubbed the MAI Carbon project, their main goal is to make the “relatively young” carbon fiber industry more accessible to the masses.

“We’ve certainly reached a halfway point on our cost-cutting target for suitable carbon-fiber parts,” Klaus Drechsler, the project’s leader, said. “We’ll see a lot more carbon fiber use in the next generation of cars.”

5. Prices of carbon fibers are going down worldwide

As we've said earlier, carbon fiber prices are slowly becoming more competitive in the market, with its original $150 per pound price now at $10 per pound. We're sure in time these figures will still go down and possibly compete with steel in terms of market price.

6. Carbon fiber industry has been consistently growing over the years

Senior Research Analyst, Aniruddha Roy from Frost & Sullivan predicted that low-cost carbon fibers can be a reality in the next 10 to 12 years. This is highly possible, since the carbon fiber industry has grown a lot during the past 15 years.

Back in 2000, the global market for this material was less than 20,000 metric tonnes. Now, it has reached more than 60,000 metric tonnes. The forecast for 2020 will be around the 100,000 to 140,000 range.

7. Carbon fiber is already being used in small scale car manufacture

You can buy many automotive parts made of carbon fibers today. And we won't be surprised if these materials will be a standard feature, even for basic entry-level vehicles in the future.

Final Note

Carbon fibers still have a long way to go from being a household name today. But in the near future, we predict that this promising material will take center stage in car engineering, creating faster, stronger, and more fuel efficient vehicles in the process. What's more, their applications will continue to be improved on and expanded over the years. In the end, carbon fibers will be highly influential not only in creating better vehicles, but also in paving the way for newer engineering and design innovations down the road.