Porsche Engineering has developed TABASKO, a tape-based carbon-fiber lightweight construction method aimed at reducing vehicle weight without abandoning cost-effective glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP-GFx), which is widely used in interior parts like roof linings and trim but has limited rigidity and heat resistance. Project manager Michael Johann's team embedded continuous carbon fibers in a thin polypropylene film to create carbon fiber tape, hypothesizing that reinforcing PP-GFx with a few tapes could allow thinner walls without losing stability, offsetting carbon's higher cost through reduced PP-GFx use.
To test the concept, the team built a prototype luggage tray for the Porsche Taycan using 1.8mm PP-GFx reinforced with 0.2mm carbon-fiber tape containing only about 1% carbon by weight, since the fibers are placed only where they have the greatest effect. In punch testing, the TABASKO tray required 66% more compressive force to reach the same deflection as the standard part while being 15% lighter; four-point bending tests showed 2.5-2.8 times higher rigidity; and impact testing showed roughly five times better impact resistance.
Working with a supplier, the team adapted TABASKO to run on conventional automated injection molding equipment, inserting tapes into the mold with a handling device and securing them via vacuum channels—requiring no new machinery. Six patents have been filed covering the material, production method, tooling and process sequence. The approach also supports higher use of recycled PP, relevant given an EU proposal requiring at least 25% post-consumer recycled content in vehicles from 2031, since added carbon fiber can offset the lower rigidity of recycled plastic. Porsche's technical department overseeing luggage trays has expressed interest in using TABASKO in future production vehicles.
Source: Porsche.com
