You may have heard that carbon fiber, the lightweight composite material that's often stronger than most metals and used in a variety of applications across the powersports spectrum, was getting banned by the European Union. But it's not. At least not yet.
As confirmed by our sister site Motor1 Italia, which reached out to the European Parliament, while an earlier draft of forthcoming regulations included carbon fiber in a list of banned materials, a new draft removed it. Now, you might be asking "Why was carbon fiber even included in this list and why was this list put together?" And that's a very good question, one that I haven't really seen answered in most outlets reporting on the proposed ban.
So that's what we'll do here, explain why carbon fiber almost got banned in Europe. And no, cigarettes weren't part of this list. That's a joke at all my European friends' expense, folks.
Carbon fiber is pretty much a wonder material. Depending on what you need done, it can be both flexible or stiff, it can be weaved, forged, or pressed, and all while being extremely light and crash-resistant. And you can mold it into whatever shape your heart desires, including full automotive or motorcycle frames. Moreover, now that we've had a few decades to play with the material since its invention, it's become practical to use on more everyday items, such as pedestrian cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, jet skis, and snowmobiles.
And that's extremely important as the world moves toward an electric future as batteries, the things powering the EV revolution, are stupidly heavy. For instance, the battery pack alone of the new EV Hummer is a whopping 3,000 pounds. And that trend is largely true for every EV sold today: batteries weigh a lot no matter the vehicle in question. So how does this connect to the European Union's possible ban of carbon fiber?
Well, since carbon fiber is becoming more ubiquitous among automotive and powersports suppliers, the EU has begun looking into the health hazards of the material, i.e. what goes into producing, as well as recycling, the material. And it's found that there are some potential hazards at both stages, but really drilled down on its end-of-life hazards.
According to the EU's End of Life Vehicles Directive, which looks at what happens to a vehicle once it's sent to the giant scrap heap in the sky, as you attempt to recycle something with carbon fiber, those materials could be released into the air and be both detrimental to your skin and lungs. And the EU's issue with carbon fiber has merit, unfortunately, as when you're laying down new carbon fiber, 3D printing carbon fiber, or sanding the material, it can also cause irritation in your lungs as the shards enter your nose and mouth. Likewise, there's a reason why you don't want to handle broken carbon fiber as that stuff never leaves your skin—I'm beyond careful when I'm handling broken carbon arrows.
So, again, there are dangers to carbon fiber and its end-of-life state. That cannot be discarded.
But without the material, at least at present, we won't be able to drive toward an electric future as without carbon fiber, EVs would be more in line with that 9,000-pound Hummer and less like the Kia EV6 or Zero DSR/X. So for now, that's why carbon fiber was almost banned and why, if you're ever in an accident involving the material, you were probably saved by it, but also shouldn't touch it if its cracked or broken.
