Photo: bmw
It’s not a secret anymore that more and more manufacturers are looking into using lighter materials to build their cars. Fortunately, the planet has plenty of aluminum but what about composite materials or carbon fiber?
In the last few years BMW invested around €2 billion into developing the i sub-brand. That money went into research for a variety of fields, amongst which the one studying the production process for carbon fiber. That’s how Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer became accessible and usable in production cars.
Previously reserved for limited-run models like the E46 M3 CSL, CFRP is now used by the handful in a couple of essential models. For now, only the M3/M4, i3 and i8 are using it, but we’ll be seeing a lot of it in the new range starting with the 2016 G11 7 Series.
According to Bloomberg, MAI Carbon Cluster Management GmbH, a research effort in Germany, is now close to reducing carbon fiber production costs by no less than 90 percent.
The endeavor is backed, amongst others, by BMW and the German Federal Government. According to Klaus Drechsler, the head of the €80 million ($102 million) project, there are still a few steps to go through but we should see a decrease in prices in the near future.
"The key is to really drive automation" in production, Drechsler said. "There are different scenarios about how carmakers can use carbon fiber -- extensively like BMW, with a carbon-fiber chassis, or with smaller components."
According to Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, carbon fiber costs roughly $20 for a kg (2.2 pounds) in its raw form while steel is less than $1.
The research will continue until at least 2017, with companies such Airbus, Siemens, BMW and SGL backing the process with heavy funds.
Previously reserved for limited-run models like the E46 M3 CSL, CFRP is now used by the handful in a couple of essential models. For now, only the M3/M4, i3 and i8 are using it, but we’ll be seeing a lot of it in the new range starting with the 2016 G11 7 Series.
The research continues
Using CFRP is only the beginning though. Research in the field is still conducted as big companies want to find a way to make carbon fiber even cheaper than it is right now.According to Bloomberg, MAI Carbon Cluster Management GmbH, a research effort in Germany, is now close to reducing carbon fiber production costs by no less than 90 percent.
The endeavor is backed, amongst others, by BMW and the German Federal Government. According to Klaus Drechsler, the head of the €80 million ($102 million) project, there are still a few steps to go through but we should see a decrease in prices in the near future.
"The key is to really drive automation" in production, Drechsler said. "There are different scenarios about how carmakers can use carbon fiber -- extensively like BMW, with a carbon-fiber chassis, or with smaller components."
Manufacturers pay 20 times as more for carbon fiber than for steel now
This is all to allow manufacturers to drop their costs significantly and, therefore, decrease the fuel consumption of their cars while also cutting down on CO2 emissions.According to Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, carbon fiber costs roughly $20 for a kg (2.2 pounds) in its raw form while steel is less than $1.
The research will continue until at least 2017, with companies such Airbus, Siemens, BMW and SGL backing the process with heavy funds.
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