Cars are getting lighter and lighter these days, but why would you want a lighter car? First of all, making a car lighter is the simplest way to boost the fuel economy, which means cars blow less carbon dioxide into the air. Better designs and lighter material can bring the weight of cars down dramatically. Secondly, compared to a heavier vehicle, a lighter vehicle could drive relatively faster.

Despite such benefits of lighter cars, now the problem is how to make a car lighter. One of the solutions is to use carbon fiber. Carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, often known as simply carbon fiber, is an extremely strong and lightweight material. Engineers and designers love carbon fiber because it is five times as strong as steel and two times stronger than stiff, yet weighs about two-thirds less. The McLaren MP4/1(MP4) was the first Formula One car to use a carbon fiber composite monocoque, a concept that is now ubiquitous.

Carbon fiber is composed of very thin strands of carbon that are about 0.25mm-even thinner than human hair. Compared to steel, which most car components are made of, carbon fiber would reduce the weight of most cars by 60 percent. As a result, the 60 percent drop in weight would reduce the car’s fuel consumption by 30 percent, without changing the car’s engine.

With these dramatic changes, many car buyers may have concerns about the safety of carbon fiber. To answer such questions of concern, the answer is, yes, carbon fiber is just as safe as steel. Computer crash simulations show that cars use carbon fiber just as well as “normal” steel cars. In fact, carbon fiber is stronger than steel.

However, everything has a downside. Even though carbon fiber can bring many benefits, the biggest disadvantage for using carbon fiber is its cost. As studied by a plastic news source, “According to a sampling of people at the trade show, carbon fiber for automotive costs＄10 to ＄12 a pound, compared to less than a buck for steel. That’s more than half the ＄35 price a decade ago, but to see more widespread adoption, it needs to get down to about ＄5 or ＄6 a pound.”The most extensive use of carbon fiber in cars so far is BMW’s new electric car, the i3, that uses carbon fiber body panels and frames. Because of its excellent fuel economy, the i3 has become the most fuel efficient EPA-certified vehicle sold in the United States of all years regardless of fuel type. The carbon fiber structure also awared the i3 a four-star car safety rating in the European New Car Assessment Program.