The whiz kids down in Oak Ridge, TN, at a lab originally established to enrich and extract the uranium 235 used to incinerate/ irradiate Hiroshima, is working with a consortium of auto manufacturers on ways to make carbon fiber cheaper, and thus a more viable option for everyday vehicle construction. Currently, commercial-grade carbon fiber's running around 8 bucks a pound; the goal is to drop the price by three to five dollars and make it easier to work with on a large scale.
Carbon fiber cars could put US on highway to efficiency [Physorg]
Related:
I Travel At Extreme Speed: The Koenigsegg CCX [Internal]