Move towards carbon fibre car parts

By Jonathan Soble in Tokyo
Published: July 24 2008 17:35

Japanese manufacturers plan to make cars lighter and more fuel-efficient by replacing steel doors and frames with carbon fibre, starting in less than ten years.
A group of advanced-materials companies has teamed up with the government in a five-year research project, which, if successful, could result in cars that are 20 per cent lighter and consume 15 per cent less fuel. The group includes Toray, which supplies the carbon fibre used in Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft.

The effort reflects the impact of soaring fuel costs and stricter emissions standards on carmakers and their suppliers. Lighter frames would complement other green innovations such as petrol-electric hybrid motors.
Rising steel prices have given carmakers an additional incentive to develop alternative materials.
Nissan, Japan’s third-biggest automaker, was involved in an earlier government-backed project to promote basic carbon-fibre research. Carmakers could join the current effort in its later stages, a person familiar with the project said.
A number of obstacles need to be overcome before a “carbon fibre car” becomes commercially viable, however.
Carbon fibre parts are typically about half the weight of their steel equivalents and several times stronger. But they are also about 10 times as expensive.
The largest use of carbon fibre in commercial car production has been in the high-end BMW M3 CSL, which uses the material in its roof. Nissan uses small amounts in its GT-R and 350Z sports cars and the Infiniti G35/G37 coupe.
The Japanese research project, which will receive about Y2bn ($18.6m) in government support, will aim to reduce manufacturing costs by devising ways to recycle more carbon fibre scrap – large amounts of which are produced in the parts-making process.
Another challenge will be to cut manufacturing time. Steel parts can be punched out of rolls of the metal in minutes or even seconds, but carbon fibre must be mixed with resin and baked for hours in an autoclave.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008