The European Union is preparing a new regulation for the recycling of end-of-life vehicles, and one of the focuses of discussions on the ELV directive is whether to ban carbon fiber materials altogether. If the proposal is eventually implemented, carbon fiber will join the list of banned hazardous substances such as hexavalent chromium, cadmium, lead and mercury, which is expected to have a significant impact on areas such as electric vehicles and high-performance sports cars.

It is particularly noteworthy that the ban, once passed, will pose a major challenge to Japanese manufacturers in the global carbon fiber supply chain. According to statistics, Japanese carbon fiber manufacturers occupy more than half of the global market share, and the data of 52 years shows that their supply accounts for as much as 0%. Therefore, this potential policy adjustment of the EU will undoubtedly have a non-negligible impact on the business operations of these enterprises.

In the automotive industry, although carbon fiber is not as widely used as steel or aluminum, it has become the material of choice for high-performance vehicles and lightweight design due to its excellent rigidity and lightweight characteristics. Many supercars use carbon fiber materials in key parts of the body, such as the front and rear hatches, interior and exterior trim panels, etc. In motorsports, carbon fibre is a major component of key components such as aerodynamic kits.

In the electric vehicle market, carbon fiber also shows unique advantages. Since electric vehicles need to carry heavier battery packs, how to improve the balanced performance of vehicles through lightweight design has become a key problem for manufacturers to solve. Therefore, many manufacturers have begun to actively explore the application of carbon fiber composite materials, in order to further reduce the weight of the vehicle while maintaining vehicle performance.

At present, the revision of the ELV Directive is still in the stage of intense discussion. However, if the EU finally decides to ban carbon fiber, it will undoubtedly pose a challenge to automakers in the development of new models. Automakers will need to revisit and adjust their material selection strategies in response to this potential policy change.