Although carbon fiber as a manufacturing material has been in existence since the 60s, it’s only recently that techniques and economies of scale have come together to make carbon composites a viable material for automotive manufacturing. Even so, current applications of this lightweight composite are still mostly limited to exotic cars, race car components and aftermarket parts. As current users of these parts well know, costs are still prohibitive, which while lending a certain status to carbon fiber parts, prevents it from reaching a bigger market.

As has been so often told, carbon fiber’s cost had historically limited its use to military and aerospace applications. But new government regulations, combined with technological advances, have forced automakers to seriously look at composites as a lightweight material that gives away little in terms of strength and safety. Apart from the cost of the material itself, composite production also includes a curing time that slows down the assembly line. As yet, carbon fiber does not match steel or aluminum in terms of cost. But its strength to weight properties (50 percent lighter than conventional steel and 30 percent lighter than aluminum) make it a compelling material for electric cars, sports cars and even luxury cars that have been piling on weight through the years.

All throughout the automotive industry, carbon fiber has made inroads in mass proudction, such as:

- BMW’s i3, debuting in 2013, which will have a carbon-fiber shell

- the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette, debuting in 2014, which will make extensive use of carbon fiber composites

- the Mercedes E-Class Lightweight to be released in 2013, sporting a carbon fiber structure

- Volkswagen’s use of its Lamborghini subsidiary as a cutting-edge division exploring the use of carbon fiber in exotic cars

Apart from this, a technology developed for making golf clubs from carbon fiber has made the leap into the automotive industry. Lamborghini’s recent showing of its Sesto Elemento concept car at the Paris auto show demonstrated forged composite technology. This technology gives up a little strength for much faster production times, measuring the fabrication time of parts in minutes instead of waiting for hours for a part to cure. The Elemento uses forged composite technology in its monocoque shell, front and rear structures, suspension, interior parts and body panels. Apart from weighing a thousand pounds less than a Gallardo, the Elemento can reportedly be produced at much less cost, compared to traditional carbon fiber construction.

Experts predict that even with today’s accelerated use of composites in mass-manufactured cars, the use of carbon fiber composites will be even more prevalent in the future. Applications and usage for this space-age material will become so advanced that today’s man on the street will not be able to imagine the possible uses for what was once called the material of the future.

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