MAI Carbon Cluster Management GmbH, a partner of BMW & Audi, says production costs of carbon fiber could soon be lowered by 90 percent. Their $102 million research project is backed by Germany’s federal government and more than 70 business and research institutions hoping to reduce carbon fiber production costs.
Currently, production using carbon fiber costs 20 times higher than using the same amount of steel. However, more and more OEMs are looking to alternative materials for lighter cars to meet stringent fuel standards. Less expensive carbon fiber allows manufacturers to drop their costs significantly while decreasing the fuel consumption of their cars and therefore cutting down on CO2 emissions.
