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The Autocomposites Commercialization Launchpad seeks to assemble a manufacturing team to produce a carbon fiber composite part for a 2018 model year vehicle at a volume of 50,000 units per year. The report details investment challenges, technical hurdles related to part design and assembly, and a 10-step action plan to engage OEMs and scale production.

The report argues that instead of risky whole-vehicle redesigns, the automotive industry should adopt carbon fiber composites starting with specific high-value parts and subassemblies. It identifies promising candidates such as door inners, engine cradles, and seats, noting that while these parts cost significantly more than steel counterparts, the value from weight reduction and fuel savings can make them cost-competitive. The document outlines technical gaps in material characterization, predictive modeling, and fiber cost, and recommends the creation of a 'Parts Campaign' and an 'Innovation Hub' to coordinate efforts between industry, government, and academia.

The document proposes a 'parts approach' to overcome barriers to the adoption of automotive carbon fiber composites. Rather than attempting whole-vehicle integration, it suggests targeting specific parts (such as rear hatches or door inners) for mainstream volumes of 50,000 to 100,000 units per year by model year 2018. This strategy aims to create a viable business case, drive scale, and identify technology and funding gaps through a collaborative supply chain team including OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and material producers.

The document identifies high raw material costs, long manufacturing cycle times, and a lack of automotive-specific design standards as primary obstacles to using carbon fiber composites in vehicles. It argues that reducing material costs from approximately $11/lb to $6-$8/lb is essential for viability. The proposed solution is a 'substitution to transformation' approach, starting with individual part substitutions (e.g., engine mounts or battery carriers) to build supply chain scale before moving to full body-in-white implementation. The briefing also emphasizes the need for advanced CAE tools for crash modeling and the development of recycling and repair processes to ensure lifecycle robustness.

Amory B. Lovins, CEO of RMI, submits comments to NHTSA challenging the technical basis of its proposed rulemaking on automobile fuel economy standards. He argues that NHTSA incorrectly relies on retrospective correlations between vehicle weight and safety, which fail to account for modern materials like advanced polymer composites and high-strength steels. Lovins asserts that these materials can create vehicles that are simultaneously large, lightweight, and safe, thereby eliminating the perceived tradeoff between fuel economy and crashworthiness. He recommends that CAFE standards be performance-based, technology-forcing, and based on size metrics rather than mass to avoid incentivizing a 'mass arms race' and to maintain the global competitiveness of U.S. automakers.

The paper proposes a 'hypercar' design based on the synergy of advanced-polymer-composite monocoques, ultralow drag, and hybrid-electric propulsion. It argues that this approach can increase fuel economy by 4–10 times compared to conventional cars, potentially reaching 60–120 km/l with fluid fuels or 250 km/l with fuel cells. The author emphasizes that the primary barriers to adoption are cultural rather than technical, as the industry relies on incremental steel-based design. Strategically, the shift to composites would lower fixed tooling costs, reduce reliance on oil, and enable a transition to distributed energy systems via fuel-cell vehicles acting as power plants.