Carbon fiber weighs only 2/3 of that of steel, and its strength is 5 times that of steel. This magical material is playing an increasingly important role in the automotive industry. If it is possible to use carbon fiber to mass-produce automobiles, fuel economy will be significantly improved without relying on the development of new fuels and new engine technologies. Because the use of carbon fiber instead of steel manufacturing cars will greatly reduce the overall weight of the body.
Auto manufacturers are convinced of the feasibility of this idea and are eager to try. BMW is a typical example. Last week, BMW's Board of Directors Norbert Reeshof flew from Munich to New York to attend a retirement dinner. Afterwards, he headed west again and flew 6,000 miles over long distances and went straight to Washington to attend the opening ceremony of a carbon fiber factory. This factory was co-founded by BMW and another company. For an unproven new technology, Resee's flight trip can indeed be called a big move.
First, fine carbon fiber yarns are spun into yarns and the yarns are woven into cloths. Then, the woven fabric was placed in a mold and hardened by adding a resin, so that carbon fiber, a novel material with extraordinary characteristics, was manufactured.
Carbon fiber is not only used for the production of fishing rods and tennis racquets, but also used in a large number of aircraft manufacturing industries, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Formula One body manufacturing. A variety of high-performance cars, such as the BMW M6 and the Chevrolet Corvette, use carbon fiber materials on the body panels. Not only that, it also replaced the thin wood board and aluminum materials used for interior decoration and became a new decoration material.
In the ointment, the large-scale application of carbon fiber has not yet been realized. The first reason is that the cost of this material is too high. It is estimated that a pound of carbon fiber is worth $10. Although much cheaper than a pound of $150 a decade ago, it is still 10 to 20 times more expensive than a pound of steel.
The other reason is that the manufacturing process of carbon fiber is time-consuming and laborious, and it is difficult to achieve large-scale production; moreover, the curing time takes several hours. In addition, carbon fibers cannot be degraded and therefore cannot be recycled.
These unfavorable factors did not prevent BMW from entering the carbon fiber manufacturing sector. In Washington State, 180 miles east of Seattle, BMW is investing $100 million to build a carbon fiber manufacturing facility. The plant was co-founded and operated by BMW and SGL Carbon SE and plans to start production of carbon fiber yarns this month. Carbon fiber yarns will then be shipped to another joint venture in Germany and processed into lightweight fabrics.
Other German car manufacturers are not far behind. In order to avoid the danger of going out, BMW's main competitor, Audi manufacturer Volkswagen, increased its stake in SGL Co., Ltd. by 9.9%. Mercedes-Benz is also behind him. At present, it is joining hands with a Japanese company to establish its own carbon fiber manufacturing plant in Germany. According to Bloomberg, Mercedes's goal is to reduce the weight of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz by 10%.
The big three auto giants are not failing to catch up. Because the famous British car R & D and manufacturing company Tiny McLaren plans to replace the chassis of the 1,000 MP4-12C car with carbon fiber material this year, the reserve price is 231,400 US dollars.
BMW is working on the application of carbon fiber to develop two future models, which are scheduled to be released in 2013. BMW uses a new processing method - robotic processing, using injection molding technology, can complete the processing of automotive parts within minutes. The models produced by BMW, from the Mini Coopers to the Rolls-Royces, will each be completely different from the previous models.
The BMW i3 will have a four-seater design and is powered by an electric or gas engine, weighs only about 1.225 tons, equivalent to 80% of Nissan Leaf's weight. According to the "Automotive News" report, the BMW i3's production plan is 30,000 vehicles per year, mainly in urban areas. The BMW i8 will be designed as a hybrid car and will be equipped with gas and electric engines. While maintaining the speed advantage of the Ferrari cars, the BMW i8 requires only one charge per 20 miles of travel; for every 50 miles it takes only one gallon of gasoline.
The price of these two cars is not cheap. According to Bill Howard, a contributor to ExtremeTech, an authoritative IT site, the price of the BMW i3 will reach $50,000, while BMW will price the i8 at around $170,000. In comparison, Chevy Volt's Chevy Volt is priced at just $43,000. The world's first production version of the Tesla roadster, an electric roadster, costs only $109,000.
BMW Chairman Reseef said: “Carbon fiber is a key raw material for the 21st century automotive industry and will bring about a revolution in the field of automotive R&D and manufacturing.â€
However, he did not mention the main features of carbon fiber over other energy-saving technologies: Carbon fiber is everywhere; it doesn't look like solar, natural gas, or hydrogen fuel cells, which may not be available on any given day.
Auto manufacturers are convinced of the feasibility of this idea and are eager to try. BMW is a typical example. Last week, BMW's Board of Directors Norbert Reeshof flew from Munich to New York to attend a retirement dinner. Afterwards, he headed west again and flew 6,000 miles over long distances and went straight to Washington to attend the opening ceremony of a carbon fiber factory. This factory was co-founded by BMW and another company. For an unproven new technology, Resee's flight trip can indeed be called a big move.
First, fine carbon fiber yarns are spun into yarns and the yarns are woven into cloths. Then, the woven fabric was placed in a mold and hardened by adding a resin, so that carbon fiber, a novel material with extraordinary characteristics, was manufactured.
Carbon fiber is not only used for the production of fishing rods and tennis racquets, but also used in a large number of aircraft manufacturing industries, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Formula One body manufacturing. A variety of high-performance cars, such as the BMW M6 and the Chevrolet Corvette, use carbon fiber materials on the body panels. Not only that, it also replaced the thin wood board and aluminum materials used for interior decoration and became a new decoration material.
In the ointment, the large-scale application of carbon fiber has not yet been realized. The first reason is that the cost of this material is too high. It is estimated that a pound of carbon fiber is worth $10. Although much cheaper than a pound of $150 a decade ago, it is still 10 to 20 times more expensive than a pound of steel.
The other reason is that the manufacturing process of carbon fiber is time-consuming and laborious, and it is difficult to achieve large-scale production; moreover, the curing time takes several hours. In addition, carbon fibers cannot be degraded and therefore cannot be recycled.
These unfavorable factors did not prevent BMW from entering the carbon fiber manufacturing sector. In Washington State, 180 miles east of Seattle, BMW is investing $100 million to build a carbon fiber manufacturing facility. The plant was co-founded and operated by BMW and SGL Carbon SE and plans to start production of carbon fiber yarns this month. Carbon fiber yarns will then be shipped to another joint venture in Germany and processed into lightweight fabrics.
Other German car manufacturers are not far behind. In order to avoid the danger of going out, BMW's main competitor, Audi manufacturer Volkswagen, increased its stake in SGL Co., Ltd. by 9.9%. Mercedes-Benz is also behind him. At present, it is joining hands with a Japanese company to establish its own carbon fiber manufacturing plant in Germany. According to Bloomberg, Mercedes's goal is to reduce the weight of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz by 10%.
The big three auto giants are not failing to catch up. Because the famous British car R & D and manufacturing company Tiny McLaren plans to replace the chassis of the 1,000 MP4-12C car with carbon fiber material this year, the reserve price is 231,400 US dollars.
BMW is working on the application of carbon fiber to develop two future models, which are scheduled to be released in 2013. BMW uses a new processing method - robotic processing, using injection molding technology, can complete the processing of automotive parts within minutes. The models produced by BMW, from the Mini Coopers to the Rolls-Royces, will each be completely different from the previous models.
The BMW i3 will have a four-seater design and is powered by an electric or gas engine, weighs only about 1.225 tons, equivalent to 80% of Nissan Leaf's weight. According to the "Automotive News" report, the BMW i3's production plan is 30,000 vehicles per year, mainly in urban areas. The BMW i8 will be designed as a hybrid car and will be equipped with gas and electric engines. While maintaining the speed advantage of the Ferrari cars, the BMW i8 requires only one charge per 20 miles of travel; for every 50 miles it takes only one gallon of gasoline.
The price of these two cars is not cheap. According to Bill Howard, a contributor to ExtremeTech, an authoritative IT site, the price of the BMW i3 will reach $50,000, while BMW will price the i8 at around $170,000. In comparison, Chevy Volt's Chevy Volt is priced at just $43,000. The world's first production version of the Tesla roadster, an electric roadster, costs only $109,000.
BMW Chairman Reseef said: “Carbon fiber is a key raw material for the 21st century automotive industry and will bring about a revolution in the field of automotive R&D and manufacturing.â€
However, he did not mention the main features of carbon fiber over other energy-saving technologies: Carbon fiber is everywhere; it doesn't look like solar, natural gas, or hydrogen fuel cells, which may not be available on any given day.
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