MORE ABOUT THIS ONLINE: Our video at annualreport2017.volkswagenag.com The fabric of the future. Carbon fiber is ultra-light, yet extremely robust. And with production costs falling, it could play a key role in the electric vehicle era. Volkswagen Group engineers are carrying out pioneering work in this field. Text: André Boße | Infographics: C3 Visual Lab T he 42-centimeter coupling rod feels like a hollow tube: light as a feather, discreetly patterned and otherwise generally unprepossessing. If a traveling showman were to claim that this rod, which tips the scales at a mere 33 grams, could easily bear the weight of a mature dairy cow, the crowd would just laugh at him. But that scorn would very quickly turn into amazement, because the showman would be absolutely right. The carbon fiber rod is three times as strong as a steel profile of the same dimensions, but only one-quarter of the weight. And it is corrosion-resistant. In the world of materials, carbon fiber – or carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), to give it its full name – is the one to beat. It outdoes all other materials in terms of its optimal strength-to-weight ratio, flexibility, and stability. That is mainly due to the carbon. No other element in the world has the same ability to form so many stable bonds with different elements – in nature’s toolbox, carbon is as versatile as a Swiss Army knife. The fact that natural diamond – the hardest known material on Earth – is nothing other than crystalline carbon testifies to the enormous strength of this all-rounder. Carbon fiber is made from an organic polymer. This feedstock is heated to a high temperature to expel the non-carbon atoms in the form of various gases. This leaves fibers composed of chains of carbon 74 atoms, which are then embedded in a polymer matrix to create this unique material with properties far superior to those of other lightweight materials such as aluminum and titanium. That is what makes carbon so interesting for materials research. However, quality of this caliber comes at a price. Even today, the development, planning and production of carbon fiber components is still very costly – which is the main reason why carbon fiber components are chiefly to be found in aircraft or golf clubs. In other words, where lightweight material and maximum robustness are essential. And, of course, in sports cars from the Volkswagen Group.
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