121. Reinventing the Wheel with Carbon Fiber

The team at Carbon Revolution is going against some age-old advice—they’re reinventing the wheel. And they’re seeing results. . Back in 2004, Dr. Ashley Denmead, Chief Technology Officer and Founder of Carbon Revolution, was part of the Formula SAE team at Deakin University in Australia. After building a too-heavy car the year prior, Ashley and his engineering team looked to save weight in the wheels. Their idea? Build them out of carbon fiber. . Thus, the journey of Carbon Revolution began. Today, the company designs and manufactures some of the world’s most technically advanced and highest performing wheels on the planet, and one of the most advanced lightweight technologies on any car. There are more than 50,000 Carbon Revolution wheels on the road today, including on vehicles such as the Ford GT and the Ferrari F8 Spider. . From four guys in a garage to 550 people in a 10,000 square-meter facility with Ford, Ferrari and General Motors among its customers, Carbon Revolution proves anything is possible with passion. Hear from Dr. Ashley Denmead on the company’s journey to success and the future of lightweight carbon fiber applications. . We’d love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today (and give us a review) on your preferred podcasting platform.  . Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Follow host Grayson Brulte on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.