My meager notes:
The Auto-industry is undergoing an innovation transformation.
There are over 100 entries for the Automotive X Prize.
New competitors from India and China as well as 20 VC funded start-ups are forcing the top dogs to get off their butts. The big three will change their ways, even if it requires a change in management, or they will cease to be.
Even while the new exotic materials are more expensive, carbon fiber composite cars can be made today such that they do not cost more than steel cars.
How can they be cheaper? A carbon fiber car can be made with one 20th of the parts.
This means that there is significant less tooling that is needed. The colors can be laid into the materials, this removes the need for a separate paint facility.
Parts are actually light enough that they can be lifted by (get this) people. Robots can still be used, but they can be cheaper bots and break down less often.
For each pound of weight removed, the power needed to move the car is reduced. This means the engine can be smaller (further lightening the car), or the performance can be better.
Are they safe? Carbon fiber can absorb 12 times the crash energy per pound. Even a car that is half the weight can be more than twice as safe.
Look at the Toyota 1/X concept.
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