Faurecia Joins German Carbon Network

Posted By: The editoron: Monday, May 22, 2017In: Parts

Faurecia has announced that the company is joining the leading cluster MAI Carbon of the Incorporated Society of Carbon Composites. The society which is based at Augsburg in Germany Innovation Park was formed with the goal of developing manufacturing processes that will, in the long run contribute to the mass production of composite parts from carbon fiber. When compared to other lightweight materials like steel and aluminum, carbon fiber is both lighter and stronger.

The use of composites made from carbon fiber can contribute significantly towards the drive by automotive manufacturers to reduce the weight of vehicles. Using carbon composites can reduce weight by 50 per cent when compared to making the very same parts from steel. This also has a beneficial effect on the environment as ten kilograms of weight savings reduce CO2 emissions by 1g/km. Weight reduction also plays a crucial role in increasing the autonomy of battery electric vehicles.

Christophe Schmitt, Executive Vice-President of Faurecia Clean Mobility declared that the company was very proud to join the German Carbon Network with the objective of making composite parts for mass production vehicles in the early 2020s. Faurecia plans to become a leading player in sustainable mobility and the company is moving forward in this direction by expanding its innovation ecosystem including academic, governmental and industrial partners as well as start-ups.”

By becoming a member of the society, Faurecia will develop close ties with German premium OEMs and renowned partners such as the Institute of Textile Engineering Augsburg, the Fraunhofer Institute IGCV, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the University of Augsburg. This will give Faurecia a unique chance to get an advantage in the mass production of structural and semi-structural composite parts for the automotive industry.
Faurecia is already a leading member of the FORCE consortium in France which has the aim of producing low cost carbon fiber for the automotive industry.