Mazda looking to use carbon fiber for electrified vehicles

Every gram counts

The era of electrification has given us more fuel-efficient cars, and some don’t even use fuel at all. However, the cost of that is vehicles have become a lot heavier, which greatly affects their driving dynamics.

As we all know, Mazda likes to engineer their cars with an enthusiast-focused mindset. They want cars that are enjoyable to drive, and they intend to carry that through the electrified era by working on saving as much weight as possible.

According to a report by motor1, Mazda’s latest research focuses on introducing carbon fiber composite chassis parts to their future models. Carbon fiber has been around for years in motorsports, as it’s a very strong material but at the same time, lightweight. However, carbon fiber can be very expensive to make. Which is why you’ll only see a full carbon fiber chassis in race cars and supercars made in limited quantities.

For Mazda’s case based on the patents, they are unlikely to make a full carbon fiber chassis on a normal production car. Instead, they are only looking at using carbon fiber on select areas of the vehicle such as the roof pillars, the front crash structure, the rocker panel as well as the frame rails.

The carbon fiber used on those parts also feature different cross sections. In engineering speak, the construction of the carbon fiber parts are done differently depending on the purpose it will serve to make sure that the material remains strong, sturdy, and lightweight at any directional load.

This patent was also assigned to Nippon Steel Chemical and Material Co., Ltd, which is likely to be Mazda’s partner in developing the carbon fiber structures.

As of now, it’s anyone’s guess as to when will Mazda produce a car with a carbon chassis. But for now, let’s just enjoy the insights of what Mazda is working on behind the scenes.