The EU has ultimately decided not to ban the use of carbon fiber in automobile manufacturing. This decision stems from an amendment proposal submitted by the department responsible for old vehicle recycling in January this year regarding the directive on end-of-life vehicles. To ensure that no harmful substances are released into the environment when vehicles are scrapped, the directive proposed adding carbon fiber to the EU's list of hazardous substances, alongside mercury, lead, and cadmium. As planned, the EU may ban the use of carbon fiber in automobile manufacturing as early as 2029.

Operators weaving carbon fiber for automotive decoration in the factory

Once the news was released, Japanese media were the first to report on it. After all, Japanese producers control 54% of the global carbon fiber market share. According to a report by Nikkei Asia, if this ban is eventually implemented, the three Japanese companies, Toray Industries, Teijin, and Mitsubishi Chemical, will suffer significant losses.

Carbon fiber is widely used in race car manufacturing due to its high strength and low weight characteristics. The McLaren F1 race car, MP4/1, which debuted in 1981, was entirely made of carbon fiber composite materials. The MP4/1 was also a major innovation in the field of safety in F1. Following McLaren, all F1 teams began to extensively adopt this material.

In addition to racing cars and supercars, electric vehicles also heavily rely on carbon fiber usage to reduce the weight caused by batteries and increase driving range. The application of carbon fiber bodies was a significant highlight in BMW's first mass-produced pure electric model, the i3. However, due to poor sales, the i3 ceased production four years ago. Furthermore, because of the high cost of carbon fiber, BMW shut down the entire carbon fiber body production line at its Leipzig plant in 2020.

What exactly are the drawbacks of carbon fiber? Regulatory agencies believe that carbon fiber is made by bonding micrometer-thin carbon fibers together with resin. During the recycling and degradation process, these fine carbon filaments may detach and float in the air. If they get caught in machinery, they can easily cause short circuits; if they come into contact with the skin or are inhaled into the human body, they may cause pain and harm.

Despite this, the EU has withdrawn its proposal to ban the use of carbon fiber. It is generally believed outside that the EU may have compromised under pressure. Not only did the three major Japanese carbon fiber manufacturers object to the ban on using carbon fiber, but the automotive industry only accounts for 20% of carbon fiber applications. Other fields that extensively use carbon fiber, including aviation and wind turbines, are also likely to voice their protests.

Liu Peiqi

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7495200399776023075/

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