Automotive carbon fiber composite materials will surpass metal materials

Japan and the United States dominate most of the world’s carbon fiber production capacity and control the production of high-end carbon fiber. Toray started in the development and production of PAN-based carbon fiber and is the representative of Japanese carbon fiber production enterprises. At present, the world’s major producers of small tow carbon fiber include Japan Toray, Japan Toho Rayon, and Japan’s Mitsubishi Rayon. Although the US company has less output, it is still technically comparable to the three huge Japanese companies.

Automotive carbon fiber composite materials will surpass metal materials

Before and after the development of carbon fiber by Toray, China began to independently develop carbon fiber. Although China has become the world’s largest producer of fiberglass, unfortunately, after nearly 40 years of development from mid-1970s, China’s carbon fiber industry’s development and production level lags behind, which is unable to compete with the US and Japan companies.

According to estimates, under the same cruising range, the weight of electric vehicles is more than 200~300kg or more than traditional vehicles. Therefore, in order to ensure that the electric vehicle has a good cruising range and affordable cost, the weight of the electric vehicle must be reduced by more than 50%. Among all lightweight materials, carbon fiber is the only advanced material that can reduce the weight of steel parts by 50-60% while providing the same strength.

Automotive carbon fiber composite materials will surpass metal materials

Carbon fiber reinforced composites have excellent physical properties: 30% lighter than aluminum, 50% lighter than steel, and 7 to 9 times stronger than steel. They were first used in high-tech fields such as aerospace, and military. It is recognized that CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced composite material) is the best material to solve the weight loss of new energy vehicles. The use of carbon fiber can make vehicles lose weight by 30% to 60%, It is a new energy source, and the leader of the vehicles’ “slimming revolution”, which plays a key role in vehicles lightweighting.

Throughout the current development of the new energy vehicles industry, it can be found that the wide application of carbon fiber composite materials in new energy vehicles is an inevitable result. it is also an inevitable choice for new energy vehicles companies to carry out automobile production and manufacturing.

Automotive carbon fiber composite materials will surpass metal materials

“Materials can change our lives.” As the slogan of Toray, carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced composites that contribute to energy conservation and greenhouse gas reduction. Toray holds about half of the world’s share of polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber. The technicians engaged in the development of Toray have long established carbon fiber-made vehicles and airplanes with the market targets of vehicles, airplanes, and atomic power generation. Toray started with sports and leisure products, and changed the use of carbon fiber for vehicles, airplanes and wind turbines at the same time.

Toray shows: There are two things that can surpass the automotive industry or bring the automotive industry to a higher level in the future: one is artificial intelligence, and the second is carbon fiber lightweight, which uses carbon fiber composites to surpass metal materials.